How To Conduct A Systematic Review and Write-Up in 7 Steps (Using PRISMA, PICO and AI)

Summary

This video script offers a comprehensive guide to writing a systematic review, outlining seven essential steps including defining research questions, developing a review protocol, conducting searches, screening studies, assessing paper quality, extracting and synthesizing data, and presenting findings. It also introduces a Pico framework for formulating research questions and provides a downloadable template to streamline the review process, complete with sections for abstract, introduction, methods, results, and more.

Takeaways

• 📝 The video provides a guide for writing a systematic review, outlining seven key steps from research to presentation.
• 🔍 The first step is to define the research question using frameworks like PICO for quantitative and PICO (with a small 'o' for context) for qualitative research.
• 📋 A worksheet and ebook template are offered to help structure the review, including sections for research questions, search terms, and eligibility criteria.
• 🔎 The review protocol development involves identifying keywords, search limits, and using tools like the Methods Wizard to streamline the process.
• 📚 Conducting the search requires a strategic approach, using line-by-line or block-by-block methods with Boolean operators, and refining the search as needed.
• 🏷 Screening studies involves using tools like the Prisma diagram to assess eligibility and ensure the research question is answered effectively.
• 📊 Assessing the quality of papers is crucial, using checklists and tools to identify biases and ensure the validity of the studies included in the review.
• 📈 Data extraction and synthesis involve pulling out themes for qualitative reviews or using statistical methods like meta-analysis for quantitative reviews.
• 📑 The presentation of findings includes a structured report with sections for abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and appendix.
• 💻 The video also provides a template for a systematic review document, complete with comments and instructions for each section to guide the writing process.

Q & A

What are the seven main steps for writing a systematic review mentioned in the script?

The seven main steps for writing a systematic review are: 1) Define the research question, 2) Develop the review protocol, 3) Conduct the search, 4) Screen the studies, 5) Assess the quality of the papers, 6) Extract data and synthesize, and 7) Present your findings.

What is the Pico framework and how does it help in defining a research question?

The Pico framework is a tool for structuring a research question by focusing on four elements: Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome. It helps in defining a research question by clearly identifying the group of people (Population), the intervention being studied (Intervention), the comparison group or condition (Comparison), and the outcome of interest (Outcome).

How does the script suggest developing a review protocol?

The script suggests developing a review protocol by identifying keywords, terms, and synonyms, setting search limits, and using tools like the Methods Wizard to create a structured approach to the search process.

What is the purpose of conducting a search in a systematic review?

The purpose of conducting a search in a systematic review is to find all the relevant papers and literature that can be used to answer the research question.

Why is it important to screen studies for eligibility in a systematic review?

Screening studies for eligibility is important to ensure that only the most appropriate and relevant studies are included in the review, which helps maintain the quality and validity of the findings.

What tools are mentioned in the script for assessing the quality of papers in a systematic review?

The script mentions using a risk bias tool and a checklist called the CAST checklist for assessing the quality of papers in a systematic review.

How does the script differentiate between data extraction for qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews?

For qualitative systematic reviews, the script suggests focusing on themes, codes, and labels to understand and synthesize non-numerical data. For quantitative reviews, it recommends using statistical data and numbers, possibly represented through a forest plot.

What is the significance of the Prisma diagram in a systematic review?

The Prisma diagram is significant as it visually represents the flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review, showing how many studies were identified, included, and excluded at each stage of the review process.

How does the script recommend presenting the findings of a systematic review?

The script recommends presenting the findings of a systematic review through a structured report that includes an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and an appendix.

What resources does the script offer to assist in the systematic review process?

The script offers a template ebook with a breakdown of all the different sections and chapters needed for a systematic review, as well as a blank template for writing a systematic review with a Word document.