Making more of
Evidence Syntheses

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Although citation searching is a prevalent search technique to identify relevant sources of evidence in systematic reviews, associated methodology and terminology has not been standardised for decades. The purpose of the webinar is to present the TARCiS statement that provides guidance on terminology, application, and reporting of citation searching (https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-078384). The webinar elaborates on the evidence base and potential benefit of citation searching in health-related evidence syntheses, an overview of citation searching methods, and a detailed presentation of the development and content of the TARCiS statement. The ten TARCiS recommendations on when and how to conduct and report citation searching are spotlighted. Finally, the presenters introduce the TARCiS research priorities and close the webinar with the presentation of a follow-up project on the development of a web-based tool to conduct citation and co-citation searching (https://osf.io/xutrn/).

Speakers:

Dr Julian Hirt is a research fellow at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel and a lecturer at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences in St.Gallen where he is mainly working on evidence syntheses and meta-research in the field of neurology, dementia, and evidence-based healthcare. He co-developed the TARCiS statement and RefHunter, a platform for systematic literature search. He is a core team member of the Library of Guidance for Health Scientists (LIGHTS).

Dr Christian Appenzeller-Herzog is a medical information specialist at the University of Basel where he is consulting and authoring meta-research projects, conducting methods development, and teaching in the realm of evidence-based medicine since 2017. Prior to this, he worked and published as molecular biologist holding research positions in Basel, Zürich and Copenhagen, and as a science teacher in Basel.

Background

Health economics methods are employed to provide evidence on the cost effectiveness and budget impact of health technologies and health and social care interventions. This evidence forms part of the multidisciplinary health technology assessment (HTA) process in Ireland and internationally, which is central to informing resource allocation decision-making by policy makers and practitioners within and across health systems. Moreover, given the growth in applied health economic evaluation studies internationally, evidence synthesis methods are increasingly employed to critically appraise and synthesise the health economic evidence base.  To this end, there exists a need to educate relevant stakeholders on the conduct of evidence synthesis in the context of health economic evaluation.

Aim

This workshop aims to firstly, provide an introduction to the methods of health economic evaluation, and secondly, to provide guidance on the conduct of systematic reviews of health economic evaluation studies.

Objectives

The objective of this workshop is to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to conduct a systematic review of health economic evaluation evidence.

Learning outcomes

In this course participants will be enabled to:

• Understand the principles and steps of the methods of health economic evaluation
• Understand the principles and steps in conducting a systematic review of health economic evaluation evidence

Dates: 5th March 2025

Time: 10am-2.30pm

Places: 30 available for individuals who are resident in Ireland & Northern Ireland

Location: Dublin

Prices: General €70; Student €50

Skill Level: Introductory

Target Audience:

Facilitators:

Paddy Gillespie, Professor of Health Economics, Health Economics and Policy Analysis Centre (HEPAC), University of Galway

Paul Carty, Senior Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Analyst, Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA

Programme

10.30am-11.30am: Lecture 1: Overview of Health Economic Evaluation Methods

12.00am-1.30pm: Lecture 2: Conducting Systematic Reviews of Health Economic Evaluation Studies

2.00pm-2.30pm: Participant Feedback Session: Guidance to Participants on Systematic Reviews of Health Economic Evaluation Projects

Background:

This series of workshops will provide reviewers, at the beginning of their journey in conducting a Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES) with a comprehensive overview of the methodology and methods including a Cochrane QES reviews. The series will offer insights into the development of a protocol, introducing participants to the methods of question generation, identification of included studies, data extraction and synthesis, the GRADECERQual assessment of confidence in the findings, and presentation the review for dissemination.

Aim:

The purpose of these workshops is to familarise all participants with the steps involved in conducting a Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.

We have designed these workshops as a companion series to allow attendees to apply what they have learned, enabling them to gain practical experience before progressing to the next stage of the process.

Objective:

The objectives of the workshops are intended to provide participants with an understanding of the methods of QES and equip them with the practical skills needed to conduct such a syntheses effectively.

Workshop 1:  will provide an Introduction to QES, including overview. We will explore how you can focus your review question and search for qualitative evidence.

Workshop 2: will highlight the methods of screening and inclusion processes including selecting studies. We will demonstrate how data are extracted for a QES and a Quality Assessment is conducted.

Workshop 3: will delve into choosing a method of synthesis, and demonstrate how to synthesisinse  qualitative data and present the findings

Workshop 4: we will illustrate the process of conducting an assessment of confidence in the findings of the QES using the GRADECERQual approach, and explore methods of writing up a review for dissemination.

Learning outcomes:

The learning outcomes for participants in this series should support them to:

• develop an understanding of the principles of QES and its importance in research
• define a research question suitable for QES
• explore methods for systematically searching and selecting relevant qualitative studies
• develop the skills to assess the quality of qualitative research studies
• gain proficiency in data extraction and methods of qualitative data synthesis
• learn how to conduct an assessment of confidence in the findings of a QES
• explore strategies for presenting and reporting the findings of a QES

Teaching strategies:

The workshops will consist of a mixture of short presentations and discussions led by members of the ESI Teaching Faculty, covering each of the methods of a QES. Breakout rooms will be used for small group activities based around worked examples and exercises. These activities will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss and develop their own skills and understanding. Participants will also be provided with a reading list and additional resources.

Places: 30 places available for individuals who are resident on the island of Ireland

Overall fee: General €120; Student €60

Skill level: Introductory

Prerequisites: Knowledge of qualitative research methodologies and methods

Target Audience:

Facilitators

Prof. Pauline Meskell, Head of Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick

Dr Linda Biesty, Associate Professor (Midwifery), University of Galway

*If your type of ticket is sold out, please join the waitlist or contact us at esi@universityofgalway.ie

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With dozens of evidence synthesis methods to choose from, it can be daunting and overwhelming to select the “right’’ method, especially for those conducting an evidence synthesis for the first time or those unfamiliar with different types of evidence synthesis methods. In response to this challenge, “Right Review” (https://rightreview.knowledgetranslation.net/) was developed. Right Review is a web-based decision support tool that helps users think through which evidence synthesis methods are most appropriate for their research questions. This webinar will:

1. Describe how and when to use the Right Review tool including limitations with worked examples
2. Explain the development process of the current and upcoming versions of the Right Review tool
3. Introduce the updated tool (Right Review 3.0) including new features and more methods

Speaker:

Krystle Amog, MSc is a PhD Candidate in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto focusing on Health Systems Research, and an awardee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Program (CGS-D). Krystle’s research interests include aging, knowledge translation, and patient engagement. In her PhD, she is developing a social frailty intervention with and for diverse older adults. Krystle has nine years of research experience collaborating with local, national, and international collaborators, including various knowledge users such as clinicians, researchers, and patient partners. She currently holds research positions at St. Michael’s Hospital and North York General Hospital where she conducts, coordinates, and disseminates evidence syntheses, as well as conducts qualitative and evaluation research. Krystle has been the project lead of the Right Review tool since its inception and has led its development, coordination, and dissemination of both updates.