4 Seminar Three
How to design and conduct a systematic review - 24 step process
In the lecture this week you will have learnt about the concepts of eligibility criteria and screening for a systematic review. Properly defining eligibility criteria and conducting duplicate screening are crucial steps in the systematic review process.
4.1 Task 1
List at least three reasons why clear and well-defined eligibility criteria are essential when undertaking a systematic review.
4.2 Task 2a
Download and save the following protocol to your own OneDrive:
Open the file in a pdf reader (such as, Adobe Acrobat) and using the highlighter tool, highlight the eligibility (Inclusion/Exclusion) criteria in the following way:
- Blue: Any information pertaining to the population being studied
- Yellow: Any information pertaining to the intervention/exposure being studied
- Green: Any information pertaining to the outcomes being assessed
4.3 Task 2b
Using a new word document, summarise the eligibility criteria from task 2a into the inclusion/exclusion criteria table below:
| PICOS | Inclusion | Exclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Study Type | — | — |
| Population | — | — |
| Intervention | — | — |
| Comparator | — | — |
| Outcome | — | — |
4.4 Task 3
Imagine you are conducting a systematic review on the topic: “The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing stress and anxiety in college students.” Formulate eligibility criteria for the following aspects:
Types of studies (e.g., randomized controlled trials, observational studies). Participants (e.g., age, gender, health status). Interventions (e.g., types of mindfulness-based interventions). Outcome measures (e.g., stress levels, anxiety scores).
4.5 Task 4
Open a new word document, or directly into your protocol, formulate your own set of eligibility criteria based on the lecture and seminar materials covered this week.
| PICOS | Inclusion | Exclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Study Type | — | — |
| Population | — | — |
| Intervention | — | — |
| Comparator | — | — |
| Outcome | — | — |
4.6 Task 5
What is the role of at least two independent reviewers in the screening process, and why is it important?
Outline the steps involved in the screening process, and use the initials of your reviewers to indicate who is responsible for each step. (*NB example on p. 6 of the article from task 2a)
4.7 Task 6
Update the eligibility and screening sections to your own protocol document, if you didn’t do this directly as part of the previous tasks.
4.8 Additional reading
Atkinson, K. M., Koenka, A. C., Sanchez, C. E., Moshontz, H., & Cooper, H. (2015). Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate. Research synthesis methods, 6(1), 87-9