Course unit details:
Evidence Synthesis: Systematic Reviews
| Unit code | POPH68001 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This module is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to conduct a systematic review of intervention effectiveness. Vocational relevance This module will help both clinicians and health scientists develop their careers in the area of evidence synthesis by providing them with the knowledge and skills to conduct a systematic review of intervention effectiveness as part of a team.
The module is intended to provide students with an overview of systematic reviews but will primarily be focused on systematic reviews of intervention effectiveness. The module will cover the following areas:
- Formulating review questions
- Selecting appropriate review types
- Developing eligibility criteria and identifying evidence
- Critical appraisal for different study designs
- Data synthesis (meta-analysis & narrative) and interpretation
- Reporting standards and GRADE
Aims
The unit aims to produce students who understand the prupose, nature and application of a systematic review and who can undertake systematic review of intervention effectiveness. This module is suitable for students interested in any field of healthcare.
Learning outcomes
| Category of outcome | Students should be able to: |
| Knowledge and understanding | A1 Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role of systematic reviews in evidence based health care A2 Demonstrate knowledge about the individual stages of a systematic review A3 Be able to identify when the professional input of an information scientist or statistician is required |
| Intellectual skills | B1 Critically evaluate evidence B2 Critically interpret systematic reviews B3 Complete a risk of bias assessment in individual studies B4 Complete a GRADE assessment of a body of evidence |
| Practical skills | C1 Undertake an appropriate role in each stage of a systematic review C2 Develop a protocol for a systematic review C3 Choose design appropriate tools to critically appraise individual studies C4 Extract relevant data from studies for evidence synthesis purposes C5 Construct a summary of findings table C6 Be prepared to undertake a systematic review as part of a team of reviewers |
| Transferable skills and personal qualities | D1 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate his/her own academic progression D2 Demonstrate effective team working by taking responsibility for carrying out tasks within a group D3 Demonstrate ability to use specific software including RevMan |
Teaching and learning methods
All content will be provided online via Blackboard. This will include materials to be worked through in the student’s own time, video content explaining concepts and tutorials showing students how to use software, discussion boards, self-directed reading. Students will be expected to read all articles that are marked as ‘required’ and to participate in discussion boards on a regular basis. While students are expected to engage with all discussion boards, they will not be penalised for non-participation.
Students will also be asked to maintain a reflective learning log to enable an awareness of knowledge and skills gained and to help identify any gaps where further work is required. The benefits of this learning log will be outline in the first week of the module and students will be provided with a template and guidance around how to use their learning logs. Students will be strongly encouraged to engage with this activity and will be provided with the opportunity for feedback from a course tutor, however this will not be a required activity and students will not be penalised for not engaging.
Participation rates in the discussion boards will be monitored and students who are not engaging will be approached informally by a course tutor via email. This will help to identify students who may be struggling and act as an opportunity to make them aware of the range of support offered by the University (e.g. English language support, disability support etc.)
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Students will be expected to develop as critical thinkers who are able to recognise the various types of bias present in published research and be able to apply this understanding to the interpretation of the research findings.
- Group/team working
- Team working is an essential part of conducting a systematic review. Students will be actively encouraged to work as part of a team and to reflect on their own and each others' contributions to team working.
- Research
- Students will gain the methodological knowledge to conduct a systematic review of interventions.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 100% |
Feedback methods
Students will be provided with personalised feedback for their final summative assignment (2,500-3,000 words or equivalent) within 20 working days.
Further opportunities for formative feedback (on non-assessed work) will also be provided during a course unit.
Study hours
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 150 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Tanya Walsh | Unit coordinator |
| Lucy O'Malley | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
For further information please watch this video from our Course Unit Leader.
If you have any questions about the content of this unit, please contact the course unit leader Prof Tanya Walsh via email on tanya.walsh@manchester.ac.uk or Lucy O'Malley via email on lucy.omalley@manchester.ac.uk. If you have any other queries please contact the PGT programme administrators via email on shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk.