Systematic Review Methodology and Tables

1
Systematic Review Methodology and Tables

• Fall 2004

2
Methodology

• What databases did you use? (see table next
  slide)
• What search terms did you use
• in a singular fashion and
• what search terms were combined?
• What years did you search?
• What hand searching strategies did you use?
• How many articles were produced by the search
  method?
• How did you select your articles - What inclusion
  criteria did you use?
• How many articles were in your final review?

3
Methodology Table Databases Used
4
Review Method

• Even though your analysis method involves
  preparation of an evidence table, you still need
  to use a narrative format to describe your table
  preparation and what the terms in the table mean.
  See Trombly Ma.
• (see discussion of how to develop an evidence
  table in a few slides)
• You also will need to summarize the internal and
  external validity of the studies included
  often, this can be done in a table.

5
Organization of the Results of the Review

• This is where you would describe the way you put
  articles together in specific groups
• usually this grouping is based on the major
  variables involved
• For example, the Trombly Ma articles were
  organized by type of outcomes of interest to
  occupational therapy, such as
• participation in life roles, ActivityIADL,
  ActivityBADL.
• Part II was also organized by outcomes, such as
• Psychosocial, cognitive-perceptual, visual
  perceptual, sensorimotor.
• Some of the major outcomes, such as sensorimotor
  was further subdivided into
• range of motion and muscle strength,
• organization of movement, and
• splinting to normalize tone.

6
Content for an Evidence Table

• There is no one correct way to construct an
  evidence table.
• Feel free to construct a table that best fits the
  articles that you have reviewed and have selected
  for presentation in the systematic review.
• See See Trombly Ma for sample evidence table
  that is statistical in nature.

7
Content for an Evidence Table Non Statistical
Example I
8
Content for an Evidence Table Non Statistical
Example II
9
Assignment

• For the three systematic reviews provided for
  your group, find where and how the authors
  discuss the results, specifically
• What databases did they use
• What years did they search?
• What hand searching strategies did they use?
• How many articles were produced by the search
  method?
• How did they select your articles - What
  inclusion criteria did they use?
• How many articles were included in their final
  review?
• Then, find where and how they discuss they
  internal and external validity of the studies.
  Did they use a table, a narrative, or both?
• Finally, look at the summary tables of the
  evidence, if any. How did the authors organize
  them?
• Be prepared to share your findings with the rest
  of the class.

10
Results of Systematic Reviews From Class
Discussion
11
Questions and Answers

• ?