Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
Systematic reviews are relevant to a range of audiences that typically do not have prior evidence synthesis training. These include patients, payers, advocacy groups, policy makers, librarians, journalists, and legislative staff. However, there is a dearth of free, open-access materials to help these audiences fully understand and use evidence syntheses.
Objectives:
To create and evaluate a free and open-access online curriculum designed to teach basic skills in the process of evidence synthesis to people without prior training.
Methods:
We assembled an interdisciplinary team comprising experts in health communication and online education. They worked with systematic review experts to transform existing educational materials into an online curriculum for audiences without formal research training. We will disseminate the curriculum to a range of these audiences for feedback and subsequent revision.
Results:
The curriculum includes eight modules covering:
1) a general introduction;
2) setting up a research team and identifying relevant stakeholders;
3) developing a research question;
4) searching for and screening studies;
5) extracting study data;
6) evaluating risk of bias;
7) analyzing data; and
8) reporting findings.
To aid learning, we also created short animations about basic systematic review concepts. We will report data on website traffic, such as unique page views, pages viewed per session, and course completion rates.
Conclusions:
Using an interdisciplinary approach, we have developed an online curriculum that is accessible to audiences without prior evidence synthesis training. The format allows the curriculum to be adapted for multiple audiences and easily updated to keep pace with evolving knowledge and theory. After completing this curriculum, interested people should be able to pursue systematic review projects with the help and support of evidence synthesis experts. Other audiences will have a greater understanding of how to use and interpret systematic review findings.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
We will test course materials with a wide range of audiences including healthcare consumers, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers.
Systematic reviews are relevant to a range of audiences that typically do not have prior evidence synthesis training. These include patients, payers, advocacy groups, policy makers, librarians, journalists, and legislative staff. However, there is a dearth of free, open-access materials to help these audiences fully understand and use evidence syntheses.
Objectives:
To create and evaluate a free and open-access online curriculum designed to teach basic skills in the process of evidence synthesis to people without prior training.
Methods:
We assembled an interdisciplinary team comprising experts in health communication and online education. They worked with systematic review experts to transform existing educational materials into an online curriculum for audiences without formal research training. We will disseminate the curriculum to a range of these audiences for feedback and subsequent revision.
Results:
The curriculum includes eight modules covering:
1) a general introduction;
2) setting up a research team and identifying relevant stakeholders;
3) developing a research question;
4) searching for and screening studies;
5) extracting study data;
6) evaluating risk of bias;
7) analyzing data; and
8) reporting findings.
To aid learning, we also created short animations about basic systematic review concepts. We will report data on website traffic, such as unique page views, pages viewed per session, and course completion rates.
Conclusions:
Using an interdisciplinary approach, we have developed an online curriculum that is accessible to audiences without prior evidence synthesis training. The format allows the curriculum to be adapted for multiple audiences and easily updated to keep pace with evolving knowledge and theory. After completing this curriculum, interested people should be able to pursue systematic review projects with the help and support of evidence synthesis experts. Other audiences will have a greater understanding of how to use and interpret systematic review findings.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
We will test course materials with a wide range of audiences including healthcare consumers, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers.