Rapid QES, QES Updates and Overviews (“TIME-FLIES”) (In-Person)

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:

• develop an understanding of how standard QES procedures can be abbreviated or accelerated to accommodate time or resource constraints
• identify how to craft a review question that is feasible within tight time-constraints
• explore methods for searching and selecting relevant qualitative studies that optimise yield within a pre-specified timeframe
• develop alternative time-efficient approaches to assessment of the methodological limitations of qualitative research studies
• gain proficiency in targeted methods of data extraction and rapid qualitative data synthesis
• explore concise and meaningful strategies for presenting and reporting the findings of a rapid QES, QES update or overview of QESs (mega-synthesis)

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.