Meta-analysis
Full course description
In many healthcare domains, there is an abundance of literature on the same topics. When multiple studies have been published with a similar research question, e.g., estimating the efficacy of a specific intervention compared to placeno, they are unlikely to report exactly the same effect size. Effect sizes may differ in order of magnitude, in whether they are significantly different from zero, or may even differ in sign. Those differences in results between studies can arise due to differences in source population, study methods, and sampling variance, amongst others. Both for researchers and for professionals who are expected to interpret and apply the results of scientific research, it is vital to be able to summarize and review all relevant literature in one’s own domain of interest in a systematic and reproducible way. Nowadays, a systematic literature review is the point of departure of almost every new research initiative, and upon completion the study results will often be incorporated in an updated version of the review. Systematic reviews are at the heart of evidence-based medicine and public health. In this module, students will learn to apply meta analysis techniques in the context of systematic literature reviews.
Course objectives
- Knowledge and understanding of the place of the systematic literature review and meta-analysis in the hierarchy of empirical evidence
- Knowledge and understanding of the steps of a systematic literature review
- Knowledge and understanding of guidelines for review protocol writing of systematic reviews (e.g., PROSPERO)
- Ability to identify and construct the relevant elements of a research question for a systematic literature review (PICO[T])
- Knowledge and understanding of literature search strategies and identification of relevant databases (e.g., the use of MeSH-terms)
- Knowledge and understanding of methodological quality assessment tools for selected studies based on study design (e.g. ROBINS-II)
- Ability to distinguish between and mention the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of literature review
- Ability to tailor the principles of systematic literature review to the requirements of different research questions (e.g., overall effect, subgroup effects)
- Acquaintance of software that can be used to perform a meta-analysis (i.e., R)
- Knowledge and understanding of different sources of between-study heterogeneity within the context of systematic literature review (e.g., clinical, methodological, effect measure, and sampling variance)
- Knowledge and understanding of various methods to quantify between-study heterogeneity
- Knowledge and understanding of meta-analysis techniques for effect measures of continuous outcome variables
- Knowledge and understanding of meta-analysis techniques for effect measures of binary outcome variables
- Knowledge and understanding of different sources of bias (e.g., publication bias, reporting bias and citation bias) within the context of a systematic literature review, and ability to identify evidence of publication bias (e.g., funnel plot)
- Knowledge and understanding of accepted standards and guidelines for the reporting of systematic literature reviews (e.g., PRISMA)
Recommended reading
- S.M.J. van Kuijk