Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis
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About the course
The aim of this popular online course is to provide participants with an understanding of the processes and methods for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analysis in health care. The course will include tips and techniques for managing the systematic review process efficiently.
Sessions will be delivered by staff from the Division of Population Health who are highly experienced in systematic review methods and health technology assessment. The course will be interactive and practical, with delivery of sessions based on lectures and individual and small group practical exercises.
Feedback from previous attendees
"Presenters were excellent."
"Useful content that covers all stages of a systematic review."
"It's an excellent course and provides a wealth of knowledge."
"The course provided a comprehensive overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis, with practical exercises that enhanced my understanding. The instructors were knowledgeable and engaging, making complex topics accessible."
Who will benefit from the course?
The course covers contemporary methods and practices for undertaking and reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses in health. The course will benefit people involved in undertaking systematic reviews, and professionals who need to develop the ability to interpret and assess the quality of systematic reviews. The course is also suitable for:
- Clinicians wanting to undertake their own systematic review
- PhD students with a significant review component to their thesis
- Members of academic systematic review teams
- Pharmaceutical companies and consultancies requiring an understanding of review methods
No previous knowledge of systematic reviews or meta-analysis is assumed.
This course is relevant to anyone involved in systematic reviews. If you are specifically interested in qualitative evidence synthesis only, please see our ESQUIRE course.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course participants should be able to
- identify the key stages of the systematic review process
- define a review question and understand how to develop a review protocol
- describe methods for identifying sources of evidence for systematic reviews
- develop a search strategy to identify relevant studies for a specific review question and understand how to conduct a literature search
- be aware of contemporary methods and technologies for reference and review management
- apply inclusion criteria to identify relevant studies
- undertake risk of bias assessment of primary evidence using appropriate, contemporary methods
- develop a data extraction form and extract relevant outcomes from reported studies
- select appropriate methods of evidence synthesis and be able to describe and summarise key results
- be familiar with statistical methods for analysis of quantitative data
- undertake a pairwise meta-analysis
- understand potential sources of heterogeneity between included studies
- apply efficient methods and technologies for reference and review management
- be familiar with good practice in reporting of systematic reviews
- undertake a risk of bias assessment of a systematic review using appropriate, contemporary methods
Faculty
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it is up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research, funding changes, professional accreditation requirements, student or employer feedback, outcomes of reviews, and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
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