1. Center for Outcomes and Evidence
Conducting a methodologically sound systematic review with limited resources: An introduction
AHRQ annual meeting
September 10, 2008
Stephanie Chang MD, MPH
Center for Outcomes and Evidence

2. Objectives
Understand breadth of methods issues in conducting systematic reviews
Identify available resources for methods guidance
Identify available resources for conducting a review

3. Conducting systematic reviews

4. Elements of systematic review
Clarify critical questions
Specify appropriate sources of information to address questions
Evaluate quality of individual studies
Internal and external validity
Summarize evidence for each question
Qualitative synthesis, Meta-analysis
(Decision analysis, Cost-effectiveness)

5. Methodology of systematic reviews
Relevant, but independent
Engaging partners for Key Questions
Engage partners for translation
Technical expert panel
Comprehensive, rigorous, unbiased
Complete literature review
Assessment of study quality
A priori definitions
Peer review
Transparent
Reporting of methods used
Methods Guide

6. AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Centers
Evidence-based Practice Centers conduct systematic reviews
BC/BS TEC
U. Conn
Duke U.
ECRI
Johns Hopkins U.
McMaster U.
U. Minnesota
Oregon HSU
U. So California. - RAND
RTI – UNC
Tufts
UCSF - Stanford U.
U. Alberta
U. Ottawa

7. Methods Guide Resources
Methods Guide for Conducting Comparative Effectiveness Reviews
Topic Development
Selecting Evidence
Finding Evidence
Assessing Quality of individual studies
Assessing Applicability
Assessing Harms
Quantitative Synthesis
Rating a body of evidence
Cochrane Handbook and Glossary

8. Software tools Data Management Evidence Tables Meta-analysis RevMan
GradePro
Comprehensive Meta-analysis ($)
Statistical software
STATA, SAS, SPSS ($)
TrialStat! ($)

9. Questions?
Stephanie Chang