Abstract
Systematic literature reviews (SRs) have become mainstream in evidence-based clinical medicine. For animal studies, SRs are not yet commonplace, but more and more animal researchers perform SRs, and important initiatives are arising to promote them.
In the presentation, I will provide a general introduction on SRs. SRs comprise multiple steps: Formulating the research question; Writing a protocol; Defining specific inclusion and exclusion criteria; Systematically searching; Selecting papers; Assessing study quality; Data extraction; Data synthesis; and Interpreting the results. Data synthesis may or may not comprise a form of meta-analysis. Because of their comprehensive search strategy, transparent methodology and explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, systematic reviews should be more objective than narrative reviews.
I will discuss the methodology to perform a thorough SR step by step, focussing on animal studies. Methodology for SRs of animal studies is still less developed than that for clinical trials, but progress is being made. For example, by now specific filters are available for searching animal studies in several literature databases, as well as specific methods for assessing the quality of the included evidence.
The applicability of systematic reviews to optimise the experimental design of new animal studies will be illustrated with case studies on cystic fibrosis; microdialysis experiments measuring intracerebral adenosine; and methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. I will address the use of SRs for animal model choice and experimental design. With these case studies, examples will be provided of how to manage unexpected problems in the review process to ensure a useful product.
In the presentation, I will provide a general introduction on SRs. SRs comprise multiple steps: Formulating the research question; Writing a protocol; Defining specific inclusion and exclusion criteria; Systematically searching; Selecting papers; Assessing study quality; Data extraction; Data synthesis; and Interpreting the results. Data synthesis may or may not comprise a form of meta-analysis. Because of their comprehensive search strategy, transparent methodology and explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, systematic reviews should be more objective than narrative reviews.
I will discuss the methodology to perform a thorough SR step by step, focussing on animal studies. Methodology for SRs of animal studies is still less developed than that for clinical trials, but progress is being made. For example, by now specific filters are available for searching animal studies in several literature databases, as well as specific methods for assessing the quality of the included evidence.
The applicability of systematic reviews to optimise the experimental design of new animal studies will be illustrated with case studies on cystic fibrosis; microdialysis experiments measuring intracerebral adenosine; and methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. I will address the use of SRs for animal model choice and experimental design. With these case studies, examples will be provided of how to manage unexpected problems in the review process to ensure a useful product.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Oct 2017 |