Exam #1: Appraising Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses Flashcards
What is a systematic review?
- Review of a clearly formulated question
- Uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research
What is a meta-analysis?
Statistical analysis applied to a systematic review
What makes a systematic review valid?
- High-quality studies
- Relevant studies
- Methods must describe search, assessment of studies, inclusion/ exclusion criteria
- Studies must be consistent clinically
- Statistical
How are systematic reviews/ meta-analyses evaluated i.e. what statistical measure are employed?
- Odds ratio
- Relative risk
What databases should be used to find studies included in a systematic review?
- Should go well beyond standard databases
- Should include ALL relevant studies, worldwide, published or not
What is an odds ratio?
Odds of an event in the treatment group vs. the control group
What is relative risk?
Risk of an event in a treatment group vs. risk in the control group
What types of studies use an odds ratio?
Case-control
What types of studies use relative risk?
Cohort
What does an odds ratio of 1 imply?
An event is equally as likely in both groups
What are the equations for relative risk?
EER/CER
[(a/a+b)]/[(c/c+d)]
What does a relative risk of 1 imply?
Event is equally probable in both groups
What is the equation of odds ratio?
AD/BC
What does a RR of 0.11 mean?
Significant risk reduction
What is a Forest Plot?
A plot of odds ratio or relative risk vs. individual studies in a meta-analysis
