Twelve tips for undertaking a focused systematic review in medical education

Abstract

The exponential growth of the systematic review methodology within health has been mirrored within health education, allowing large numbers of publications on a topic to be synthesised to guide researchers and teachers. The robust, transparent and reproducible search methodologies employed offer scholarly rigour. The scope and scale of many reviews in education have only been matched by the size of the commitment needed to complete them and occasional lack of utility of reports. As such, we have noticed a growth in reviews across journals in the field that have questions that are more focused in scope. The authors propose 12 tips for performing a focused review in the right settings for the right reasons and discuss why such 'focused reviews' may be more beneficial in those circumstances. Focused reviews allow researchers to formulate answers to specific local issues that have explicit utility of findings. Such reviews are equipped to identify what works for specific groups in specific circumstances and even question how and why this may occur. An additional impact of a focused approach can be a rapid turnaround. This article explains the purpose and benefits of focused review and provides guidance on how to produce them.

Knowledge syntheses in medical education: A bibliometric analysis

“…Knowledge syntheses can provide medical educators with the means to move from reliance on eminence-and experience-based opinion or individual studies-to the utilization of resources that holistically consider and integrate the best available evidence [4]. Thus, it is unsurprising that interest in knowledge syntheses has resulted in the publication of several instructional guides on how to conduct knowledge syntheses in medical education [5][6][7] and the establishment of grant funding opportunities to support their creation [8]. What is more, systematic reviews are often a gateway for medical students starting their own lines of research [5] and are also essential for graduate students entering the field.…”

Knowledge syntheses in medical education: A bibliometric analysis

“…2 Knowledge syntheses can provide medical educators with the means to move from reliance on eminence-and experience-based opinion or individual studies-to the utilization of resources that holistically consider and integrate the best available evidence. 4 Thus, it is unsurprising that interest in knowledge syntheses has resulted in the publication of several instructional guides on how to conduct knowledge syntheses in medical education [5][6][7] and the establishment of grant funding opportunities to support their creation. 8 What is more, systematic reviews are often a gateway for medical students starting their own lines of research 5 and are also essential for graduate students entering the field.…”

The Perceptions and Experiences of Undergraduate Healthcare Students With Debriefing Methods

“…A 2-stage systematic search strategy was used to identify relevant literature for addressing the research question 41 . First, a planning strategy identified critical search terms, 42 and research questions were formulated using the population, intervention, control, and outcomes (PICO) model 43–45 . The review research question was: “what are the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate healthcare students regarding debriefing methods?” Primary research studies with empirical findings on perceptions derived from practice contexts were selected, with a focus on qualitative research due to its ability to produce more in-depth data on experiences and perceptions 1,46 .…”

“…41 First, a planning strategy identified critical search terms, 42 and research questions were formulated using the population, intervention, control, and outcomes (PICO) model. [43][44][45] The review research question was: "what are the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate healthcare students regarding debriefing methods?"…”