Systematic Reviews

The acclaimed textbook for navigating the practice and challenges of public health, now updated and completely revised.The practice of public health would be easier if all the decisions could just be based on science.The reality, of course, is that many choices have to account for short-term demands, meaning that some policies and programs are rooted in anecdotal evidence or limited resources. In these circumstances, an evidence-based approach - emphasizing available data and analytics while leveragingindividual skills and an optimized organizational climate - is a public health practitioner's best tool for effective decision making.This fully revised and updated edition Evidence-Based Public Health offers an essential primer on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It addresses not only how to locate and utilize scientific evidence, but also how to implement andevaluate interventions in a way that generates new evidence. Practical topics covered in this light include:* conducting community assessment* developing an initial statement of issue (and quantifying it)* using scientific literature and systematic reviews* creating an action plan and implementing interventions* evaluating programs and policiesAn indispensable volume for professionals, students, and researchers in the public health sciences and preventive medicine, this newly updated edition of the classic textbook empowers readers to identify and apply the most compelling evidence available.

The fifth edition of Harris Cooper's bestselling text offers practical advice on how to conduct a synthesis of research in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. The book is written in plain language with four running examples drawn from psychology, education, and health science. With ample coverage of literature searching and the technical aspects of meta-analysis, this one-of-a-kind book applies the basic principles of sound data gathering to the task of producing a comprehensive assessment of existing research"--Back cover

Evidence based medicine is at the core of modern medicine. It involves the integration of individual clinical expertise with the best available clinical evidence from systematic research and patient's values and expectations. Systematic reviews offer a summary of the best available evidence. They are the most reliable and comprehensive statement about what works.  Written by clinical academics from Australia, UK, USA, and Switzerland, this contributed volume introduces the readers to the principles and practice of systematic reviews and meta-analysis. It covers the various steps involved in systematic reviews including development of a focused question and the strategy for conducting a comprehensive literature search, identifying studies addressing the underlying question, assessment of heterogeneity and the risk of bias in the included studies, data extraction, and the approach to meta-analysis. Crucial issues such as selecting the model for meta-analysis, generating and interpreting forest plots, assessing the risk of publication bias, cautions in the interpretation of subgroup and sensitivity analyses, rating certainty of the evidence using GRADE guideline, and standardized reporting of meta-analysis (PRISMA) are covered in detail. Every attempt is made to keep the narrative simple and clear. Mathematical formulae are avoided as much as possible.  While the focus of this book is on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard of clinical research, the essentials of systematic reviews of non-RCTs, diagnostic test accuracy studies, animal studies, individual participant data meta-analysis, and network meta-analysis are also covered.  Readers from all faculties of medicine will enjoy this comprehensive and reader friendly book to understand the principles and practice of systematic reviews and meta-analysis for guiding their clinical practice and research.

The revised edition of the Handbook offers the only guide on how to conduct, report and maintain a Cochrane Review 
 The second edition of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains essential guidance for preparing and maintaining Cochrane Reviews of the effects of health interventions. Designed to be an accessible resource, the Handbook will also be of interest to anyone undertaking systematic reviews of interventions outside Cochrane, and many of the principles and methods presented are appropriate for systematic reviews addressing research questions other than effects of interventions. This fully updated edition contains extensive new material on systematic review methods addressing a wide-range of topics including network meta-analysis, equity, complex interventions, narrative synthesis, and automation. Also new to this edition, integrated throughout the Handbook, is the set of standards Cochrane expects its reviews to meet.  Written for review authors, editors, trainers and others with an interest in Cochrane Reviews, the second edition of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions continues to offer an invaluable resource for understanding the role of systematic reviews, critically appraising health research studies and conducting reviews.