Importante: il corso sarà tenuto in italiano

Professors involved: Anna Odone, Maddalena Gaeta, Paola Bertuccio, Giacomo Pietro Vigezzi, Giansanto Mosconi

Course learning outcomes/abstract: The growing volume of literature makes it impossible for users of scientific research to evaluate and
keep up with new evidence. Consequently, systematic reviews and meta-analyses are vital for providing reliable research syntheses to support evidence-based hypothesis identification, grant
applications, or decision-making.
The course aims to provide the foundational theoretical knowledge and practical methodological skills for planning and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The course is designed to
support students in applying the skills and knowledge they will acquire to their research projects and fields of interest.
It includes lectures and practical sessions on all phases of a systematic review and meta-analysis:
defining the research question, drafting the protocol, conducting systematic literature searches, applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracting data, assessing the quality of primary studies,
performing qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis, and reporting.
Throughout the course, students will have the chance to develop their own research project and will have access to the resources of the University of Pavia, statistical software for meta-analyses and bibliography management.

Goals:

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the principles and steps for conducting systematic reviews (the course focuses on systematic reviews of quantitative studies, although many concepts taught are applicable to
  qualitative and mixed methods reviews)
• Search the most reliable data sources using a standardised search methodology
• Develop an answerable question using the “Participants Interventions Comparisons Outcomes” (PICO) framework
• Describe the process used to collect and extract data from reports of clinical trials or observational studies
• Critically appraise existing systematic reviews and describe methods to assess the risk of bias in clinical trials critically
• Describe and interpret the results of systematic reviews and metanalyses
• Conduct their own high-quality quantitative systematic reviews and meta-analysis

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Theoretical goals:

• Understand the principles and rationale for conducting systematic reviews (the course
  focuses on systematic reviews of quantitative studies, although many concepts taught apply
  to qualitative and mixed methods reviews) and how they can be used to PhD candidates’
  research activities
• Identify reliable data sources using standardised search methodologies
• Apply efficient methods and technologies for reference and review management
• Critically appraise existing systematic reviews and describe methods to assess the risk of
  bias
• Interpret the results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Practical goals:
Manage the steps to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis following the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to conduct high-
quality quantitative systematic reviews and meta-analyses:

• Develop an answerable research question using, for instance, the Participants Interventions
  Comparisons Outcomes (PICO) framework
•  Develop a search strategy to identify relevant studies for a specific review question and
  understand how to conduct a literature search on key bibliographic databases and grey
  literature
•  Draft a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol and register it on selected international
  databases (i.e., Prospero)
•  Apply inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify relevant studies
• Develop a data extraction form and describe the process used to collect and extract data
  from reports of clinical trials or observational studies
• Undertake risk of bias assessment of primary evidence using appropriate methods
• Select appropriate methods of evidence synthesis and be able to describe and summarise
  key results
• Understand potential sources of heterogeneity between included studies
• Be familiar with good practice in reporting systematic reviews

Number of hours and planning: 20 hours (+ individuals projects)

•  Introduction to systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The PRISMA guidelines
• Basics of epidemiology: study designs and measures
• Crafting a research question using the PICO(s) model. Initial steps in developing a
  systematic review protocol on Prospero
• Search strategy development for systematic retrieval of sources. Practical application of
  search strings and introduction to reference management tools
•  Selecting studies and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data extraction and data
  synthesis techniques: qualitative, meta-analysis and meta-regression
•  Qualitative and quantitative synthesis: hands-on session with Rayyan, Prometa and RevMan
  for screening and data management
• In-depth review of PRISMA steps. Quality assessment and tools for quality appraisal
• PRISMA checklist compliance and practical exercises on risk of bias assessment
• New frontiers in systematic reviews: umbrella reviews, multiple treatments meta-analysis,
  network meta-analysis; the role of AI in systematic reviews
•  Practical session on developing a draft for a systematic review manuscript

Period:  Spring 2026

Registration: https://forms.gle/pQi4HtoebwwRPibv5

Delivery mode and location: on line

Language: English

Evaluation criterial: case studies + voluntary individual projects

Credits (CFU): 5

Depliant