MAKING SENSE OF META-ANALYSIS COURSE
This course is intended for individuals with an interest in interpreting published meta-analyses accurately, for the purpose of improving clinical care, teaching, or planning or carrying out research. The course consists of three video based components:
1. Making Sense of Meta-Analysis: An Introduction to New Methodological Standards from the American Heart Association An overview of the exponential growth in the number of published meta-causes, the drivers of this growth and the problems caused by it.
2. Introduction to the Making Sense of Meta-Analysis Interpretive Tool - An introduction to a new tool developed by an American Heart Association team designed to improve interpretation of meta-analyses.
3. Application of the Making Sense of Meta-Analysis Tool - A detailed description of the application of the tool to a specific meta-analysis.
This Non-CME course is based upon the work of the American Heart Association writing group which developed methodological standards for qualitative systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cardiac prevention and treatment studies. The standards were published in the journal Circulation in 2017.
- Rao G, Lopez-Jimenez F, Boyd J, D'Amico F, Durant NH, Hlatky MA, Howard G, Kirley K, Masi C, Powell-Wiley TM, Solomonides AE, West CP. American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology; and Stroke Council.
- Methodological Standards for Meta-Analyses and Qualitative Systematic Reviews of Cardiac Prevention and Treatment Studies: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017 Sep 5;136(10):e172-e194. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000523. Epub 2017 Aug 7.
PART II - Introduction to the Making Sense of Meta-Analysis Interpretive Tool
This second lecture helps learners translate the American Heart Association standards by providing an overview of an easy-to-use tool to guide interpretation of meta-analyses.PART III - Application of the Making Sense of Meta-Analysis Tool
The final video shows learners how to apply the Making Sense of Meta-Analysis tool to a published meta-analysis on risk factors for recurrent Clostridium difficile infectio.Additional Reading Resources