Conducting systematic reviews in medical education: a stepwise approach

Abstract

(i) Define a focused question addressing the population, intervention, comparison (if any) and outcomes. (ii) Evaluate whether a systematic review is appropriate to answer the question. Systematic and non-systematic approaches are complementary; the former summarise research on focused topics and highlight strengths and weaknesses in existing bodies of evidence, whereas the latter integrate research from diverse fields and identify new insights. (iii) Assemble a team and write a study protocol. (iv) Search for eligible studies using multiple databases (MEDLINE alone is insufficient) and other resources (article reference lists, author files, content experts). Expert assistance is helpful. (v) Decide on the inclusion or exclusion of each identified study, ideally in duplicate, using explicitly defined criteria. (vi) Abstract key information (including on study design, participants, intervention and comparison features, and outcomes) for each included article, ideally in duplicate. (vii) Analyse and synthesise the results by narrative or quantitative pooling, investigating heterogeneity, and exploring the validity and assumptions of the review itself. In addition to the seven key steps, the authors provide, information on electronic tools to facilitate the review process, practical tips to facilitate the reporting process and an annotated bibliography.

Social Media use within medical education: A systematic review to develop a pilot questionnaire on how social media can be best used at BSMS

“…Three more bibliographies were analysed in case the first was an exception but again no pertinent studies were identified (Brisson et All article types were included in this review including both peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed research. It was felt that many pieces of grey literature were relevant for the purpose of this study and could add to evidence-based decisions as long as their limitations were recognised (Cook & West, 2012).…”

“…Using the methods described by Cook and West (2012), two medical education researchers, the following databases were used: Medline, Cochrane, PsychINFO, ERIC (Educational Resources Information Centre [for education studies]) and Scopus. The search was conducted from 1 st January 2014 to 12 th January 2017.…”

The Literature Review: A Foundation for High-Quality Medical Education Research

“…Several organizations have published guidelines for conducting an intensive literature search intended for formal systematic reviews, both broadly (eg, PRISMA) 5 and within medical education, 6 and there are excellent commentaries to guide authors of systematic reviews. 7,8 Such work is outside the scope of this article, which focuses on literature reviews to inform reports of original medical education research. We define such a literature review as a synthetic review and summary of what is known and unknown regarding the topic of a scholarly body of work, including the current work's place within the existing knowledge.…”

Some Potential “Pitfalls” in the Construction of Educational Systematic Reviews

“…Well-conducted educational systematic reviews follow published standards [3][4][5][6]. These standards in turn inform on common pitfalls in their construction.…”