A Revised Framework to Evaluate the Consistency Assumption Globally in a Network of Interventions.

We have refined the unrelated mean effects (UME) model to incorporate multiarm trials properly and to estimate all observed comparisons in complex networks of interventions.Forest plots with posterior summaries of all observed comparisons under the network meta-analysis and refined UME model can uncover the consequences of potential inconsistency in the network.Using complementary plots to investigate the individual data points' deviance contribution in conjunction with model fit measures and estimated heterogeneity aid in detecting possible inconsistency.