BOSE: A Bayesian Order Statistics-Based Estimator for Recovering the Sample Mean and Standard Deviation from the Median, Range, and/or Interquartile Range

Abstract

In meta-analyses of continuous outcomes, the sample mean and standard deviation (SD) are essential for synthesizing effect sizes across studies. However, clinical studies frequently report alternative summary statistics, such as the median, quartiles, and range. To enable inclusion of such studies, various methods have been proposed to estimate the sample mean and SD from these reported summaries. We propose the Bayesian Order Statistics-based Estimator (BOSE), which leverages the joint likelihood of observed order statistics together with weakly informative priors to obtain the full posterior distribution for the mean and SD without relying on computationally intensive iterative procedures such as Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. Our numerical studies demonstrate that BOSE performs competitively with existing approaches in estimating the mean, while providing comparable or improved SD estimation across the evaluated scenarios, with gains particularly evident in small-sample settings. Under non-normal distributions including skewed, heavy-tailed, and bimodal settings with mild or moderate deviations from normality, BOSE remains robust and stable, whereas methods specifically designed for skewed distributions may become unstable or even inapplicable. Beyond point estimation, BOSE naturally provides empirically validated posterior credible intervals, enabling researchers to formally quantify uncertainty for study-level estimates and make reliable, evidence-based decisions in meta-analytic research synthesis. A publicly accessible web application implementing BOSE and competing methods is also provided to facilitate practical use in meta-analytic research.