Doing a Systematic Review Jo Hunter Linda Atkinson Oxford University Health Care Libraries 1 March 2006 Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

What is a Systematic Review? “A scientific tool which can be used to summarise, appraise and communicate the results and implications of otherwise unmanageable quantities of research” (NHS CRD, 1996) Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

What is a Systematic Review? Systematic in identifying/evaluating Objective in interpretation Explicit in statement of objectives Reproducible in methodology (Greenhalgh, 2000) Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

What about “Meta-analysis”? “A specific statistical technique used to combine the results of several studies into a single estimate” (Sackett et al., 1991) Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Systematic Review - Advantages Summarise information Overcome bias inherent in small studies Overcome lack of generalisability Heterogeneity (inconsistency in results) can be identified Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Which organisations produce systematic reviews? Cochrane Collaboration NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination Campbell Collaboration Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

The Cochrane Collaboration Formed in 1993 International, with several Centres Systematic reviews available via the Cochrane Library Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

The NHS CRD Formed in 1994 Works with the UK Cochrane Centre Produces guidance on writing systematic reviews Provides access to systematic reviews Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

The Campbell Collaboration Set up along similar lines to the Cochrane Collaboration Access to systematic reviews re: social and educational policies/practices Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

What’s the best methodology? Updated guidance from the NHS CRD Up-to-date advice from the NHS CRD The Cochrane Handbook Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Three Broad Stages 1.Planning – identify need, prepare proposal, develop protocol 2.Conducting – find, select, appraise, extract, synthesise literature 3.Reporting – write up and disseminate results Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Stage 1: Planning Is there a need? Find a team –Someone to obtain funding –Someone to do most of the work –An information specialist –A methodologist –A content expert –An advisory group Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Stage 1: Planning Draw up a protocol –Background & rationale –Study question(s) –Inclusion criteria –Details of literature search –Data extraction –Proposed analysis –Plans for reporting/dissemination (Dinnes, 2000) Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Stage 2: Conducting the review Literature search - comprehensive Select studies – use an eligibility form Assess quality of selected studies – use checklist Data extraction – use forms/tables Data synthesis – qualitative & quantitative Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Stage 3: Reporting & Dissemination Succinct and consistent report Publish in a professional journal Promote in conference presentations Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

Bibliography Dinnes J. (2000). Protocols for systematic reviews. Presentation at the Systematic Review Development Programme, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford 11/09/00. Greenhalgh T. (2000). How to read a paper: the basics of evidence based medicine. (2nd edition). London: BMJ Publishing. Sackett D., Haynes RB., Guyatt GH. & Tugwell P. (1991). Clinical Epidemiology: A basic science for clinical medicine. 2nd edition. Little, Brown & Company. Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources

What did you think of this presentation? Jo Hunter Linda Atkinson Oxford University Health Care Libraries Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources