HAD5308H

Prerequisite

[HAD5307H (pre/corequisite) OR CHL5201H (pre/corequisite)] and [HAD5301H OR HAD5720H OR HAD6770H].

Description

This course is designed to teach healthcare professionals, who have some background in critical appraisal of the literature and study design, to systematically review evidence related to interventions, diagnostic tests, prognosis, or prevalence, and to conduct meta-analysis using appropriate statistical methods.

Students will select a research question for their systematic review. They will be evaluated on submission of a review protocol and final paper describing their completed systematic review and meta-analysis, in addition to presentations. It is expected that students will eventually publish their reviews in a peer-reviewed journal or the Cochrane Library.

Before the first session, students are required to develop a review title and question (using the PICO format, or other as appropriate for the question) and conduct a preliminary search of the literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PROSPERO) to (1) identify any protocols or reviews that might overlap with your topic, and (2) ensure that there are sufficient papers (at least 3) with quantitative data that address your review question. A minimum of 3 studies with usable data is required to conduct a meta-analysis.

Objectives

The primary objective is for the student to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis that will be acceptable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or as a Cochrane review. A systematic review and meta-analysis of any study design is welcome. A secondary objective is to develop scientific writing skills.

Instructors

Evaluation