Training and Webinars

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The webinar will cover:

– what living systematic reviews are and how they differ from traditional systematic reviews

– evidence of their feasibility based on a pilot project and ongoing living systematic reviews

– practical and logistic aspects of maintaining a living systematic review

– key enablers for the success of living systematic review, including tech-based enablers

– case study ‘intervention to improve the fruit and vegetable consumption of children aged 5 years and younger”

Dr Rebecca Hodder is a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow and Program Manager at the University of Newcastle and Hunter New England Population Health with 15 years’ experience in the implementation and evaluation of chronic disease prevention programs in children. She has a particular interest and expertise in evidence synthesis, including living evidence, and is a Cochrane Public Health Research Associate. Dr Hodder leads a series of studies at the National Centre of Implementation Science identifying international and national evidence-practice gaps in school-based chronic disease prevention and a series of living systematic reviews to identify and improve the implementation of effective chronic disease prevention interventions in children.

This workshop will be held over two days and provides an opportunity for those who undertake their own searches for evidence syntheses, and those how work with librarians/information specialists on the study identification, to learn more about the process of searching for studies for evidence syntheses.  It addresses many of the key aspects of searching for evidence syntheses, in particular how this differs from searching for routine clinical practice/everyday questions.

Date: 23rd & 24th June

Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Location: Online

Places: 25 available for individuals who are resident in Ireland & Northern Ireland

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 the process of searching for studies for systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses.

Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of searching databases such as MEDLINE/ PubMed; An interest in improving their own search skills and/or understanding better how to work more effectively with their librarian/information specialist to identify studies for evidence syntheses

Teaching strategies

The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, small group and plenary discussions, together with practical exercises.

Facilitator

Ms Carol Lefebvre

This one day workshop provides a brief overview of the development and use of three principal methods of qualitative evidence synthesis; thematic synthesis, framework synthesis and meta-ethnography. These three methods are endorsed as the methods of choice by the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Research Group and collectively they represent a versatile toolkit of approaches to handling qualitative data within systematic reviews. This workshop will offer experience of conducting all three approaches and the strengths and weaknesses of each method will be rehearsed and then demonstrated. Key references in methodological development and reporting standards will be explored against a backdrop of Cochrane methodological guidance and alongside exemplars of each type of research output. The workshop will allow participants to shape their own views of what method works best under different circumstances. Brief reference will also be made to applied examples of these methods such as rapid QES and mega-ethnography.

Date: 30th June 2022

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm

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

Skill level: Intermediate

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: Delegates should be familiar with the overall process of systematic review, preferably as it relates to qualitative evidence synthesis.

Teaching strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, small group and individual exercises. A variety of worksheets and handouts will be provided to encourage practical engagement with learning from the course and further reference to additional resources.

Facilitators: Dr Andrew Booth, Reader at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield

Andrew Booth is a Professor of Evidence Synthesis at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield. He is a co-convenor of the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Andrew is a Chartered Information Professional (UK CILIP) and was awarded the prestigious Cyril Barnard Award for outstanding contribution to health librarianship in 2011. Andrew has been teaching and conducting systematic reviews for over 25 years, latterly specialising in qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) and realist synthesis. He has experience of multiple QES methods including hands-on familiarity with thematic synthesis, framework synthesis and meta-ethnography. Between 2015 and 2021 he has been the world’s most prolific author/co-author of QES methodology and published examples of qualitative evidence synthesis. In 2020 he collaborated with Evidence Synthesis Ireland to support the first ever Cochrane Rapid Qualitative Evidence Synthesis. Andrew’s research focuses on methods of information retrieval and/or qualitative synthesis. He is responsible for many acronyms and mnemonics used in everyday reviewing practice (e.g. SPICE, SPIDER, PerSPE©TiFand RETREAT) and contributes to numerous modules and short courses including his own annual ESQUIRE course on Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.

Course timetable:

10:00  Introductions/Introduction to the Course

10:15  Overview of Qualitative Synthesis

11:00  Introducing Thematic Synthesis

11:15  Break

11:30  Thematic Synthesis Practical

12:15  Lunch

13:00  Introducing Framework Synthesis

13:15   Framework Synthesis Practical

14:00  Introducing Meta-Ethnography

14:15   Meta-Ethnography Practical

15:00  Break

15:15   Choosing Your Method of Synthesis

15:45   Concluding Comments/Questions

16:00  Close

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 structured. It offers an insight into the development of a protocol, introducing participants to methodology, search methods, data extraction and meta-analysis. This workshop also includes an introduction to RevMan software and its use during protocol development.

Date: 29th & 30th September, 6th & 7th October 2022

Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm

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

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: Have a basic knowledge of health research. Are interested in learning more on the methodology of a review. Participants are requested to install the RevMan software and bring their laptop to the workshop.

Teaching strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, led by members of the 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. 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

Prof Anne Matthews, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University.

Prof Veronica Lambert, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University.

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 structured. It offers an insight into the development of a protocol, introducing participants to methodology, search methods, data extraction and meta-analysis. This workshop also includes an introduction to RevMan software and its use during protocol development.

Date: 29th & 30th September, 6th & 7th October 2022

Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm

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

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: Have a basic knowledge of health research. Are interested in learning more on the methodology of a review. Participants are requested to install the RevMan software and bring their laptop to the workshop.

Teaching strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, led by members of the 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. 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

Prof Anne Matthews, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University.

Prof Veronica Lambert, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University.

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 understand the basic principles of the GRADE approach and be able to comprehend the individual steps in the assessment of the evidence and their impact on the strength of the recommendation; be able to create an evidence profile for a therapeutic intervention based on a systematic review; & have a basic understanding of the GRADE Software

Dates: 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th & 28th October

Time: 10:15 – 13:30

Places: 24 available for individuals who are resident in Ireland & Northern Ireland

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

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

Teaching Strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of presentations and exercises in small groups

Facilitators:

Ingrid Töws (Institute for Evidence in Medicine, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany)

Dr Nuala Livingstone (Cochrane)

Dr Chris Noone (NUI Galway)

To register, click here

Systematic reviews are key to evidence-informed decisions but can be a long and challenging read. Working in trial methods, Trial Forge work done a few years ago found that most trial designers were unaware of systematic reviews on what might improve recruitment. The same is no doubt true for other trial processes. What the people we spoke really wanted was information on what is it, does it work and should I use it.  This was the basis for Trial Forge Evidence packs, which take their starting point in systematic reviews but then provide key information in a simple 2-page standard format. The packs also provide resources to support implementation and evaluation of the intervention. This talk will describe Trial Forge Evidence Packs and discuss ways in which they are being linked to systematic reviews and other resources to provide a simpler way for people to get up-to-date best evidence on intervention effects.

Prof. Shaun Treweek is a health services researcher at the University of Aberdeen interested in efficient trial design, particularly around recruitment and retention and the effective presentation of research evidence.  He also helped to develop PRECIS-2, a tool to match trial design decisions to the information needs of those intended to use the results.  He leads an initiative called Trial Forge (http://www.trialforge.org) that aims to be more systematic about how we identify, generate and use research evidence in making trial design, conduct, analysis and reporting decisions.  In 2019 Trial Forge won the international Cochrane-REWARD Prize for outstanding work in reducing waste in research.  Finally, Shaun is an Editor-in-Chief of the journal Trials.

The revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials (RoB 2) was published in late 2019, building on the established Cochrane risk-of-bias tool first released through the Cochrane Handbook in 2008. This online session will introduce introduce the RoB 2 tool, describe the risk-of-bias domains it considers, provide an overview of how the tool should be applied, and support the application of the tool. Participants will be enabled to (i) describe the key concepts of the RoB 2 tool & (ii) applied the revised RoB 2 in their reviews.

Date: 6th & 7th July 2021

Time: 10am – 1pm

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

Skill Level: Beginner

Target Audience: Healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, decision-makers and Evidence Synthesis Ireland Fellows new to risk-of-bias assessment or who have performed risk-of-bias assessments before but are new to the RoB 2 tool.

Teaching Strategies: The workshop will consist of a mixture of presentations and practical sessions, along with a protected period for Q&A at the end. The practical sessions will be built around a practical “hands-on” risk-of-bias assessment.

Facilitator: Luke McGuinness, National College of Ireland.