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.
april 2024
This workshop will lead attendees through the complete process of guideline development with GRADE using a concrete example, starting with the selection of a relevant PICO question and ending with
This workshop will lead attendees through the complete process of guideline development with GRADE using a concrete example, starting with the selection of a relevant PICO question and ending with the formulation of a recommendation. The GRADEpro GDT software is used for this purpose. The thematic focus is on assessing the certainty of the underlying evidence as well as the strength of the recommendation. In lectures, we introduce GRADE and explain its use with examples.
Attendees will be enabled to:
Dates: 18th & 19th April
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Places: 25 available for individuals who are resident in Ireland & Northern Ireland
Location: University of Galway
Prices: General €250; Student €140
Prerequisites: Knowledge in conducting and/or using systematic reviews as well as the basic principles of evidence-based healthcare, and the critical appraisal of research studies, especially RCTs
Skill Level: Introductory
Target Audience: Systematic review authors, guideline developers, health and social care professionals, academics, researchers, postgraduate students, decision makers, Evidence Synthesis Ireland Fellows and other professionals
Facilitators:
Prof. Declan Devane, Director of Evidence Synthesis Ireland & Cochrane Ireland, Professor of Health Research Methodology, University of Galway
Dr K.M. Saif-Ur-Rahman (Senior Methodologist, Evidence Synthesis Ireland)
Philipp Kapp (Researcher, Institute for Evidence in Medicine, University of Freiburg)
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18 (Thursday) 10:00 am - 19 (Friday) 4:00 pm Irish Standard Time, UTC +1
University of Galway
University Road
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
Background: As for any healthcare intervention, medical tests require thorough evaluation. Identifying the accuracy of a test is a key step in the evaluation process. Understanding other ways in which tests
Background:
As for any healthcare intervention, medical tests require thorough evaluation. Identifying the accuracy of a test is a key step in the evaluation process. Understanding other ways in which tests affect the clinical management of patients is also important – a new test may be more acceptable to patients, easier to administer, or provide a faster diagnosis or treatment.
The accuracy of a test is a measure of how well it differentiates those with a disease or condition from those who do not. Different, sometimes complex, study designs can be used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Measures of accuracy are also not fixed properties of a test and may not be transferable across different populations and settings. A systematic review aims to provide an overview of currently available evidence about a test’s diagnostic accuracy. A basic understanding of study designs, potential sources of bias, and factors that might affect the applicability of a study’s findings, are essential to ensure that the included studies answer a relevant review question.
Aim
To provide an introduction to systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy.
Objectives:
The objective of this workshop is to provide an understanding of study designs to evaluate the accuracy of a test and the essential components of a systematic review of diagnostic test accuracy.
Learning outcomes
In this course participants will be enabled to:
The workshop does not cover how to conduct a meta-analysis of test accuracy studies.
Date: 29th April 2024
Time: 10.00 am – 12.00 pm
Places: 30 places available for individuals who are resident on the island of Ireland
Fee: General €50; Student €25
Skill level: Introductory
Target Audience: Healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, decision makers, librarians, information specialists, and Evidence Synthesis Ireland fellows and teaching faculty who would like to learn more about DTA reviews
Facilitator
Jac Dinnes, PhD
Senior Research Fellow in Test Evaluation
Test and Prediction group, Institute of Applied Research,
University of Birmingham UK
*If your type of ticket is sold out, please join the waitlist or contact us at esi@universityofgalway.ie
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(Monday) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm UTC
ONLINE
may 2024
To register, click here Integrating the findings of a qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) with the findings of a review of intervention effects can offer many insights
To register, click here
Integrating the findings of a qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) with the findings of a review of intervention effects can offer many insights including potential reasons for variation in intervention outcomes. QES often generate theories and explanations for why and how interventions work from the perspectives of those delivering or using them; by integrating these theories with evidence on intervention effects, review teams can offer vital information to support implementation of review findings in practice settings. However guidance on the difficult task of integrating the different evidence types is limited and there are few worked examples of methods for integration. In this webinar Katy will illustrate a wide range of different options for integrating QES and intervention evidence, drawing on real integration examples. Through these examples Katy will illustrate the diversity of integration methods and tools and critically examine their strengths and limitations.
Dr Katy Sutcliffe is an Associate Professor at the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordination Centre (EPPI Centre), Institute of Education, University College London. She is the Deputy Director of the London-York NIHR Policy Reviews Facility which produces research syntheses to support the Department of Health and Social Care’s policy decisions. Katy specialises in developing systematic review methods for producing policy-relevant evidence, in particular qualitative and mixed-methods evidence syntheses and approaches for identifying the key ingredients and underlying mechanisms of interventions.
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(Thursday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
ONLINE
Conducting Time-limited or resource-constrained qualitative evidence syntheses: rapid QES, QES updates and overviews (“TIME-FLIES”) Background Qualitative evidence synthesis has become a particular growth area within evidence synthesis and systematic reviews. It is
Conducting Time-limited or resource-constrained qualitative evidence syntheses: rapid QES, QES updates and overviews (“TIME-FLIES”)
Background
Qualitative evidence synthesis has become a particular growth area within evidence synthesis and systematic reviews. It is becoming increasingly difficult to explore a health or social care topic without encountering one or more qualitative evidence syntheses (QESs). At the same time there is increasing pressure from decision-makers in policy or practice to provide timely answers to issues that relate to the acceptability, feasibility and meaningfulness of health and social care interventions. This workshop will explore three different but related routes to providing qualitative evidence within resource-limited contexts – the rapid QES, the overview of multiple QESs and the update of one or more QESs.
Aim
The aim of this workshop is to open up and fully explore the variety of responses to a demand for synthesising qualitative research speedily and efficiently. We have designed this workshop to allow attendees to apply what they learn to any type of qualitative evidence synthesis, regardless of whether it is standard or resource-constrained, with tips for productive and efficient working.
This workshop will lead attendees through the complete process of guideline development with GRADE using a concrete example, starting with the selection of a relevant PICO question and ending with the formulation of a recommendation. The GRADEpro GDT software is used for this purpose. The thematic focus is on assessing the certainty of the underlying evidence as well as the strength of the recommendation. In lectures, we introduce GRADE and explain its use with examples.
Objectives
The objective of this workshop is to provide participants with a toolkit of methods to plan and deliver a variety of QES-related outputs and the skills required to deliver them.
Learning outcomes
In this course participants will be enabled to:
Dates: 22nd May 2024
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Places: 20 available for individuals who are resident in Ireland & Northern Ireland
Location: University of Galway
Prices: General €180; Student €70
Prerequisites: A working knowledge of qualitative evidence synthesis methods.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Target Audience:
Healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, decision makers, librarians, information specialists, and Evidence Synthesis Ireland fellows and teaching faculty who would like to learn more about alternatives to standard qualitative evidence syntheses, particularly when time is tight or resources are constrained.
Facilitator:
Professor Andrew Booth
Professor in Evidence Synthesis, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield and Adjunct Professor – University of Limerick.
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(Wednesday) 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Irish Standard Time
University of Galway
University Road
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. “