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.
december 2023
To register, click here This 40-minute online training session, hosted by Evidence Synthesis Ireland and presented by Julie Glanville, will teach participants techniques for effectively searching
To register, click here
This 40-minute online training session, hosted by Evidence Synthesis Ireland and presented by Julie Glanville, will teach participants techniques for effectively searching PubMed. Julie will explain how to find and use Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and will demonstrate restricting searches to specific fields, truncation for searching word variations, phrase searching for multi-word concepts, the new proximity searching feature, creating saved searches, and exporting results. The final 20 minutes will be a question and answer session where participants can ask about any other PubMed search techniques they are interested in learning. Overall, the webinar aims to equip attendees with core skills for searching the PubMed database effectively.
Julie Glanville is a qualified librarian who has worked in systematic reviews for 30 years and is currently an independent consultant focusing on information retrieval for systematic reviews. Julie is a co-manager of SuRe Info and the ISSG Search Filter Resource. From 2008 to June 2020, Julie was Associate Director of York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) and coordinated its information and review services. Previously, Julie was Associate Director and Information Service Manager at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), University of York, for fourteen years. Julie is a co-convenor of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group and a co-author of the Cochrane Handbook chapter on searching for evidence.
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(Tuesday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm UTC
ONLINE
january 2024
To register, click here Realist synthesis occupies a misty research hinterland somewhere between systematic reviews and the much-maligned narrative review. Critics often focus on the “…and
To register, click here
Realist synthesis occupies a misty research hinterland somewhere between systematic reviews and the much-maligned narrative review. Critics often focus on the “…and then the magic happens” approach that challenges the orthodoxy of systematic reviews. Can a realist synthesis be “systematic” without aspiring to be a systematic review? Where does realist review sit within a toolbox of review approaches that provide useful and useable answers to practitioners and policy makers? To what extent is it possible to use systematic approaches to theory generation and searching? How do you document the iterative process and “forays” into the literature that pursuit of explanations for what works for whom under what circumstances seems to require. Professor Andrew Booth, both a proponent and a critic of realist approaches will present a lively debate on what realist synthesis has to offer, what alternatives are available, and why, for certain researchers under certain circumstances they may actually be worth conducting!
Andrew Booth is Professor in Evidence Synthesis, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) – University of Sheffield and adjunct Professor – University of Limerick. He is co-convenor of the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group, a GRADE-CERQual core team member and a research associate of Evidence Synthesis Ireland/Cochrane Ireland. Andrew obtained his PhD from the University of Sheffield and has an MSc and Diploma in Librarianship (Distinction) from University of Wales, following a BA (First Class Hons). Andrew is a prolific trainer in qualitative and rapid reviews. As co-director of three evidence synthesis centres for UK National Institute for Health and Care Research he has conducted numerous realist syntheses focusing on searching for theory and for underpinning evidence. He is currently authoring the Realist Synthesis chapter for the Cochrane-Campbell Handbook of Qualitative Evidence Synthesis. In 2020 he collaborated with Evidence Synthesis Ireland to support the first Cochrane Rapid Qualitative Evidence Synthesis. His co-authored text Systematic Approaches for a Successful Literature Review is in its 3rd edition.
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(Thursday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm UTC
ONLINE
Aim Our mission is to make evidence syntheses more usable in every sense of the word – better designed, conducted and reported, more useable for decision makers and
Aim
Our mission is 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.
Learning outcomes
Join us in this virtual meeting to:
Zoom link will be sent out through email in the days before the event
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(Thursday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Irish Standard Time
ONLINE
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
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:
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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(Tuesday) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
ONLINE
This workshop will be held over four mornings and provides authors, at the beginning of the systematic review process, with an in-depth understanding of how reviews are planned and conducted.
This workshop will be held over four mornings and provides authors, at the beginning of the systematic review process, with an in-depth understanding of how reviews are planned and conducted. It offers an insight to the development of a protocol, introducing participants to methodology, search methods, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis.
Date: 29th & 30th January, 8th & 9th February 2024
Time: 10.00 am – 1.00/1:30 pm
Places: 30 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, decision makers and Evidence Synthesis Ireland fellows who have identified a review 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.
Teaching strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, led by members of the Cochrane Ireland & ESI 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. This course will include blended learning with two months free access to Cochrane Interactive Learning self-directed modules, a number of which will be required study prior to the workshop.
Facilitators
Prof. Declan Devane, Director of Evidence Synthesis Ireland & Cochrane Ireland, Professor of Health Research Methodology, University of Galway
Dr Julie Broderick, Assistant Professor in Physiotherapy, Trinity College Dublin
Ciara Gleeson, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Respiratory Assessment Unit, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin
*If your type of ticket is sold out, please join the waitlist or contact us at esi@universityofgalway.ie
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January 29 (Monday) 10:00 am - February 9 (Friday) 1:00 pm UTC
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.
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. “