EBP1000

Systematic review evidence for treatment interventions ( 6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL)

Leader: Associate Professor Sally Green - Course Advisor Ms Denise O'Connor - Co-coordinator Mr Simon French - Co-coordinator

Offered:
Clayton First semester 2005 (OCL)
Clayton SA-02 2005 (OCL)
Clayton Second semester 2005 (OCL)
Clayton Summer 2005 (OCL)

Synopsis: Traditionally, clinicians have favoured past experience, prevailing practice, professional training and peer opinion to guide decisions about patient care. It is now well accepted that these sources of information are much less reliable than external evidence from properly designed studies. Therefore, clinicians need to learn new skills to keep up with the rapidly evolving medical landscape.

Objectives: This unit requires skills learned in previous units of the Graduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Practice, including the formulation of appropriate questions, searching the literature, critical appraisal, and interpretation and application of research. This unit will teach students how to write a protocol for a systematic review of treatment interventions. Students will develop a protocol of a systematic review based upon the methodology developed by the Cochrane Collaboration, which may be eligible for submission to a Cochrane Review Group for publication at the end of the course. At the completion of this unit, each participant will: 1. Understand the need for, and principles of, systematic review of treatment interventions. 2. Be competent in searching the scientific literature for randomised controlled trials. 3. Be competent in appraising the quality of randomised controlled trials. 4. Understand the computer programs and statistical terms used to summarise and combine the results of randomised controlled trials. 5. Be competent in interpreting systematic reviews of the evidence for treatment interventions.

Assessment: Assignment One - question formulation (10%), Assignment Two search strategy (30%) Assignment Three data extraction form (10%) Assignment Four assessing for quality (30%) Assignment Five analysis (20%)

Prerequisites: EBP1002 Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice