Systemic Reviews and Meta analyses

Question 1

What is a meta analysis?

Answer 1

The use of statistical techniques to integrate the results of independnat studies

Question 2

What are the two steps involved in the meta analysis?

Answer 2

Extract the data and main result from each individual study

Calculate a pooled average result

Question 3

What is a systemic reivew?

Answer 3

Not necessarily a pooling of all results but instead it might look to quickly answer 1 question

Question 4

What is the cochrane collaboriation?

Answer 4

An international well recognized collaboration of analyses that are considered the highest standard in evidence based healthcare

Question 5

What is the firs step in a systematic reivew?

Answer 5

Question of interest is generally first

Question 6

What is the comprehensive literature search?

Answer 6

Where we have many studies put together in one. Usually done by a librarian

Question 7

How are studies identified for inclusion?

Answer 7

Generally 2 reviewers so that consensus can be achieved

Question 8

What do reviewers do?

Answer 8

They assess the study quality and extract the data

Question 9

How are studies comparred?

Answer 9

Each study is given a specific weight usually with odds ratio where one study may have a larger population size hence lower confounding. Weighted more with respect to the metanalysis

Question 10

What are issues that come up with systematic reviews?

Answer 10

Problems if done outside of a systemic reivew

Inappropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria

Potential publication bias