PHVIT9550 Systematiske oversikter og metaanalyser Emneplan

Healthcare decisions for individual patients and for public health policies should be informed by the best available research evidence. The evidence comes from good reviews which is a state-of-the-art synthesis of current evidence on a given research question.Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) play an important role in clinical guidelines, patient information, in clinical and political decision-making and in an evidence-based practice. A systematic review or qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) can also play an important role in a PhD Thesis by providing an overview of the thesis topic.

This course offers an overview of the use of systematic reviews, the method of systematic reviews, qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) and meta-analysis and how to critically appraise a systematic review or QES. The course will focus on systematic reviews of qualitative and quantitative studies. The course will be run as a six day course over a period of six months.

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On completion of the course, the PhD candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The PhD candidate:

• is at the forefront of knowledge in how to write a protocol of a systematic review or qualitative evidence synthesis
• understands the role of best evidence research in clinical and political decision-making

Skills

The PhD candidate can:

• plan and write a protocol of a systematic review or qualitative evidence synthesis
• formulate a focused research question
• plan a literature search
• conduct a systematic and explicit selection process of the available articles
• assess the methodological quality of included articles
• extract data from included studies and plan analyses
• critically assess a systematic review

General competence

The PhD candidate can:

• the principles of how to search for research literature
• the principles of how to run a meta-analysis or a synthesis of qualitative studies
• the principles of how to assess the quality of evidence by Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) or GRADE CERQual
• the principles of how to conduct a systematic review

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, small group work and discussions, self-study, and practical exercises. The outcomes of the small group sessions are presented and discussed in plenary.

This course covers key theoretical and ethical issues in health science research. A presentation is also given of the key methods in the design of qualitative and quantitative research and of mixed methods research. The course also covers different types of strategy for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The course contributes to critical thinking about methodological issues and gives a broad methodological basis for assessing research strategies in the candidate's own project. Emphasis is also placed on how research problems, choice of design, challenges regarding measurements, use of statistical models, and qualitative analysis models are evaluated. Legislation and systems governing the control and supervision of health research and data protection are other topics covered in the course.

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On completion of the course, the PhD candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The PhD candidate

• can critically assess different scientific theories in the health sciences
• can assess the usefulness of using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies in research processes in the health sciences
• has a command of the key principles of qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis

Skills

The PhD candidate can

• articulate research problems, and plan and make methodological decisions in his or her own doctoral work
• identify ethical issues and address them on the basis of established principles of ethical research
• critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of health science research projects
• address requirements in the Health Research Act and the Personal Data Act governing research activities

General competence

The PhD candidate can

• participate in debates on theoretical, ethical and methodological issues in the health sciences
• assess different research practices in the health sciences from theoretical and methodological perspectives

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, seminars, and self-study. The outcomes of the seminars are presented and discussed in plenary sessions.

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