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Appendix E: Expert Guidance for Chapter 3: Standards for Finding and Assessing Individual Studies
Appendix E: Expert Guidance for Chapter 3: Standards for Finding and Assessing Individual Studies
Pages 265-280
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E Expert Guidance for Chapter 3: Standards for Finding and Assessing Individual Studies 265
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. search for evidence 3.1.1 Work with a librarian A person with library expertise An information specialist Review authors should work or other information is part of the review team should ideally be included as closely with the Trials Search specialist trained in whose responsibility is to part of the project team.
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frequently search strategy should be peer information specialist to internally peer review the reviewed to check for errors peer review the search electronic search strategies. (spelling mistakes, incorrect strategy use of operators, or failure to include relevant MeSH)
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The Cochrane Collaboration 3.1.6 Search literature cited Do forward citation search for Scanning reference lists of Should search reference list of by eligible studies any key articles. Handsearch relevant studies may be helpful included (and excluded)
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3.2.2 Invite researchers to EPC authors should prespecify Sometimes the amount of Authors are recommended to clarify information related if they will contact study information reported about a contact the original investigators to study eligibility, study authors for further information study is insufficient to make a for clarification of eligibility, characteristics, and risk of and describe plans in protocol. decision about inclusion, and it details of the study, and the bias can be helpful to contact study numerical results.
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The Cochrane Collaboration 3.2.3 Invite all study When interventions identified Contacting experts and It may be helpful to contact sponsors and researchers in key questions involve drugs manufacturers may be useful colleagues, or send formal letters to submit unpublished or devices, it is important for supplying information of request to first authors of data, including unreported to supplement the literature about unpublished or ongoing included reports to identify outcomes, for possible search with a request to the trials. unpublished data.
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This identify and assess for eligibility expert panel whether exclusion may be impossible due to time, all possibly relevant reports of of non-English studies would resources, and facilities of trials irrespective of language of bias the report. Document translation.
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3.3.2 Use observational Observational studies are Observational studies can One of the most important roles studies in addition to almost always necessary to provide useful information of nonrandomized studies is to randomized controlled assess harms adequately. about the unintentional effects assess potential unexpected or rare trials to evaluate harms of They may provide the of an intervention, and in such harms of interventions.
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3.3.4 Train screeners using Pilot-testing of screening The selection process should Pilot-testing the eligibility criteria written documentation; process is particularly be piloted by applying the can be used to train the people test and retest screeners important if there is not dual- inclusion criteria to a sample who will be applying them and to improve accuracy and review screening. of papers in order to check that ensure that the criteria can be consistency they can be reliably interpreted applied consistently by more than and that they classify the one person.
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The Cochrane Collaboration 3.3.6 Taking account of Observational studies should Because of the risk of bias, Cochrane reviews focus primarily the risk of bias, consider be included when there are careful consideration should on randomized trials. including observational gaps in RCT evidence and be given to the inclusion of Nonrandomized studies might be studies to address gaps when observational studies quasi-experimental studies included (1)
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A flow characteristics of excluded studies identified including reasons Report the list of excluded chart showing the number table. This lists studies that appear for their exclusion if references.
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including data from the research results to ensure they same study more than once are not treated as separate studies in the review. 3.5.3 Use standard data Data abstraction forms are Standardized data extraction Data collection forms are extraction forms developed developed prior to data forms should be designed invaluable.
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The applicability the study's populations, of the study populations should consider whether of endpoints and outcomes can interventions, and outcome in terms of severity of groups were similar at outset only be assessed in relation to a measures illness, comorbidities, and of the study, selection bias, and specific decision that needs to be demographics (age, sex, attrition bias. made.
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; Lesley Stewart, Director, CRD (October 14, 2010) ; and Julian Higgins, Senior Statistician, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge (October 4, 2010)
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2010. AHRQ series paper 5: Grading the strength of a body of evidence when comparing medical interventions: AHRQ and the Effective Health Care Program.
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2010. AHRQ series paper 3: Identifying, selecting, and refining topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews: AHRQ and the Effective Health Care Program.
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