Evidence Synthesis Ireland (ESI), which hosts Cochrane Ireland, aims to make evidence syntheses more usable in every sense of the word – better designed, conducted and reported, more useable for decision-makers and more usable within health care policy and clinical practice decision making across the island of Ireland and beyond.
We provide education for researchers, clinicians, the public and policymakers who conduct or use evidence syntheses.
We build capacity in planning, doing and sharing evidence syntheses through Fellowships, workshops and scholarships.
We advance the way we plan, do and share the results of evidence synthesis by finding out how to do these steps better.
september 2025
18sep10:00 amIntroduction to Systematic Reviews (Online)10:00 am ONLINE
This workshop will be held over four mornings and provides authors, at the beginning of the systematic review process, with a clear understanding of how systematic reviews of the effects
This workshop will be held over four mornings and provides authors, at the beginning of the systematic review process, with a clear understanding of how systematic reviews of the effects of interventions are planned and conducted. It offers an insight into the development of a protocol, introducing participants to methodology, search methods, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis. While the focus is on systematic reviews of the effects of interventions, the principles discussed are likely to be useful to inform steps and approaches in other types of reviews.
Date: 18th, 19th, 24th & 25th September 2025
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Places: 25 available for individuals who are resident on the island of Ireland
Fee: General €150; Student €80
Skill level: Introductory
Target Audience: Healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, policy makers and other decision makers, and Evidence Synthesis Ireland fellows who have identified a systematic review of effects of interventions topic and are ready to begin working on their protocol.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of health research. Interested in learning more on the methods of a systematic review of effects of interventions.
Teaching strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations led by members of the Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland teaching faculty, covering each of the stages of developing a systematic review protocol, small group activities and plenary discussions, providing participants with the opportunity to develop and refine their protocol. Although focusing on systematic reviews of the effects of interventions, the principles are likely to apply to other review types. This course will include blended learning with two months free access to Cochrane Interactive Learning self-directed learning modules, a number of which will be required study prior to the workshop.
Facilitators
Dr Augusto Azuara-Blanco, Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Queens University of Belfast.
Ciara Gleeson, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Respiratory Assessment Unit, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.
Dr KM Saif-Ur-Rahman, Senior Methodologist, Evidence Synthesis Ireland & Research Fellow, 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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(Thursday) 10:00 am
ONLINE
To register, CLICK HERE This webinar will present findings from a Study Within A Review (SWAR) evaluating the use of PubReMiner, a text-mining word frequency tool,
To register, CLICK HERE
This webinar will present findings from a Study Within A Review (SWAR) evaluating the use of PubReMiner, a text-mining word frequency tool, for developing systematic search strategies used in various evidence syntheses. Conducted within the Health Information and Quality Authority’s (HIQA’s) Health Technology Assessment Directorate, the study compares the sensitivity and precision of PubReMiner-generated strategies to conventional methods used at HIQA. The session will outline the methodology, key outcomes, and considerations for incorporating such tools into systematic and rapid review processes. The SWAR was embedded across multiple reviews, offering insights into the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to answering methodological research questions compared to SWARs embedded within a single review. The webinar is particularly relevant for researchers, information specialists, librarians and others involved in evidence-based practice or policy who are interested in the evaluation of emerging approaches to literature searching.
Speaker:
Andrew Dullea is a Health Services Researcher within the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Directorate in HIQA. Andrew previously qualified as a radiation therapist and worked for several years at St. Vincent’s Private Hospital where he led on the clinical implementation of surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT) and ‘tattoo-less’ radiotherapy. He later graduated from the University of Cambridge with a master’s degree in Public Health, and subsequently worked for the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) where he focused on the development and implementation of medical device and in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) health policy. Currently, Andrew works in the HTA Directorate’s ionising radiation evidence review team which deals with generic justification and the development of guidelines for exposures in asymptomatic individuals. He is also undertaking a PhD through the SPHeRE programme at the School of Medicine in Trinity College Dublin.
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(Thursday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
ONLINE
The innovative ESI Fellowships give Fellows the opportunity to learn about evidence synthesis, with hands-on experience of how to plan, design, conduct and report an evidence synthesis. Fellows are placed virtually with world-class evidence synthesis centres and review teams in Ireland and internationally, on policy and practice relevant reviews.
We’re committed to improving how we gather, interpret, and share vast amounts of information, a process known as evidence synthesis. Our approach isn’t just about conducting research; it’s about improving the very methods we use to plan, conduct, and share the results of this process.
We work in many different research areas relevant to evidence synthesis and have a particularly strong focus on rapid reviews, knowledge translation and “studies within a review” (SWARs).
“ Reporting on health care topics can rely too much on asking experts or reporting the results of a single study…what would be much more useful to members of the public, especially when it comes to making decisions about their own health, is for people to understand how to situate health claims in the global body of evidence. “