Systematic Reviews

Question 1

What lies at the top of the hierarchy for filtered information?

Answer 1

systematic reviews

Question 2

What is a systematic review?

Answer 2

a review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review

Question 3

What is a meta-analysis?

Answer 3

the use of statistical techniques (usually in a systematic review) to integrate the results of independent studies

Question 4

What are the two steps in conducting a meta-analysis?

Answer 4

extract the data and main result from each individual study
calculate a pooled average result
-greater weight given to studies that provide more information

Question 5

True or false: all systematic reviews are meta-analyses and vice versa

Answer 5

false

Question 6

What is the statistic used to show study heterogeneity?

Answer 6

Q or I^2

Question 7

Why do we need systematic reviews?

Answer 7

there is tons of research out there, it is impossible to keep up with the literature
systematic reviews provide a good summary of the available evidence

Question 8

Who can publish systematic reviews or meta-analyses?

Answer 8

anyone
-~2500 SRs indexed annually on MEDLINE

Question 9

Who is considered to be the father of systematic reviews?

Answer 9

Archibald Cochrane

Question 10

Describe the Cochrane Collaboration.

Answer 10

international network of 30k volunteers in 53 review groups
prepare, update and promote Cochrane Reviews
internally recognized as the highest standard in evidence-based healthcare
no industry money involved

Question 11

What are the components of systematic reviews?

Answer 11

question of interest
comprehensive literature search
identify appropriate studies for inclusion
assess study quality
extract data
analyze data (if doing a meta-analysis)
interpret results-write review

Question 12

What are important aspects of the question of interest for systematic reviews?

Answer 12

study protocol: inclusion/exclusion criteria
decide if only RCT or also include observational studies

Question 13

How intensive is the comprehensive literature search for systematic reviews?

Answer 13

very intensive
wide net so nothing is missed (large # of data bases)
librarian involved
generates thousands of results

Question 14

How many reviewers should be involved in identifying appropriate studies, assessing study quality, and extracting data for systematic reviews?

Answer 14

at least 2 separate reviewers

Question 15

How are appropriate studies for inclusion of systematic reviews typically identified?

Answer 15

going through abstracts

Question 16

Are all systematic reviews considered to be systematic?

Answer 16

no, there is varying levels of quality
-lack of transparency or incomplete reporting
-issues with methods for identifying studies
-inappropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria
-poor quality assessment

Question 17

Are all meta-analyses done properly?

Answer 17

no
-problems if done outside of a systematic review
-inappropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria
-garbage in=garbage out
-no measure or consideration of heterogeneity
-potential problems if publication bias

Question 18

True or false: systematic reviews are only done for drug topics

Answer 18

false
can be a service like MedRec