Introduction to Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis

Faculty

Susan D. Ross MD, FRCPC

Course Description

Systematic Review, also known as a structured literature review, summarizes a topic in a fashion using preset criteria and a protocol. On the other hand meta-analysis is both a systematic literature review and a quantitative synthesis of finding across multiple studies.

This module will delve into the environmental context in which evidence-based medicine (EBM) has arisen, and how the development of systematic review methodology has become the chief tool of EBM. Students will be shown how to step-by-step perform a systematic review, and in so doing, they will learn how to evaluate systematic reviews that have already been conducted by others. Additionally, two major groups within systematic review will reviewed. These major groups are the “producers” and the “consumers” of systematic reviews. The way in which various stakeholders are currently using systematic reviews for decision-making and how they should be using them now and in the future will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the Introduction to Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis module, you will be able to:

• Understand how to perform and how to critically appraise systematic reviews and meta-analyses of drug trials.
• Appreciate the pros and cons of using systematic reviews to inform healthcare policy and practice decisions re: the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of drugs.
• Learn how systematic reviews/meta-analyses are and will be used for drug development and commercialization activities by industry.