This course takes a step-by-step approach to the tasks and methods involved in conducting a new systematic review to answer a question about the effects of an intervention. The course is designed for those with an understanding of clinical research but who are new to systematic reviews and those with some experience but who want to learn … Continue reading Standards for the conduct of systematic reviews
Workshop on DTA studies
In current medical practice, new diagnostic tests are developed and introduced at a fast rate. A rigorous evaluation of diagnostic tests before introduction into clinical practice is imperative. Several potential threats to the internal and external validity of a study on diagnostic accuracy exist. As in any other type of research, flaws in study design can … Continue reading Workshop on DTA studies
Workshop on Observational studies
There are major steps that one must navigate successfully to take a study idea and turn it into a publication that may have an impact on clinical practice. These steps include developing the study question, developing the study plan, implementing the study plan, reporting the results and submitting the manuscript for publication. This workshop takes each of these steps and expands on its important components.
Per Protocol Analysis
Per Protocol Analysis is defined as a subset of participants from a randomized controlled who completed the study without any major protocol violations. PP analyses exclude all protocol violators, including anyone who did not adhere to treatment, switched groups, or missed measurements. There is an observed tendency for Per Protocol analyses to favor the experimental … Continue reading Per Protocol Analysis
Twelve P Value Misconceptions
This commentary reviews a dozen of these common misinterpretations and explains why each is wrong. It also reviews the possible consequences of these improper understandings or representations of its meaning. Finally, it contrasts the P value with its Bayesian counterpart, the Bayes’ factor, which has virtually all of the desirable properties of an evidential measure that the P … Continue reading Twelve P Value Misconceptions
Cochrane Profile: Ashraf Nabhan
The ninth in the Cochrane20 Video Series introduces the third Cochrane Profile, focusing on the experiences of individual Cochrane contributors. This video presents Ashraf Nabhan, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Cochrane author from Cairo, Egypt, discussing what motivates him to use evidence in his medical practice and teaching, and his experience of being part … Continue reading Cochrane Profile: Ashraf Nabhan
SPIRIT statement
The protocol is like an architect plan for a new house. It must be explicit, detailed and accurate for the justification of the trial, the methods, and the implementation of every step of the clinical study. The protocol is important and crucial for many reasons. The protocol provides the information needed for the study to … Continue reading SPIRIT statement
Saving lives by testing treatments
In the late 1940s, groups of researchers in Europe and the USA led one of the most important developments of medical research by refining the methods for testing treatments in random trials. At that time, neonatologists were worried about a major outbreak of a new kind of visual loss affecting thousands of the prematurely born … Continue reading Saving lives by testing treatments
Non-inferiority and equivalence trials
Non-inferiority and equivalence trials have methodological features that differ from superiority trials and present particular difficulties in design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation. Although the rationale for such trials occurs frequently, those designed and described specifically as non-inferiority or equivalence trials appear less commonly in the medical literature. Learn more about NI and E RCTs by attending … Continue reading Non-inferiority and equivalence trials
The Forest Plot
A graphical representation of the individual results of each study included in a meta-analysis together with the combined meta-analysis result. The plot also allows readers to see the heterogeneity among the results of the studies. The results of individual studies are shown as squares centred on each study’s point estimate. A horizontal line runs through … Continue reading The Forest Plot
ECEBM 