June 2023 (Next August 2023)

In this issue

1) Speakers of the 2023 Methods Symposium have been announced.

2) More information about the new study centric data management in RevMan Web.

3) Upcoming events and opportunities to get involved include online webinars and Methods Support web clinics.

4) Meet Tamara Lotfi of the Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group.

5) New resources include articles from our Methods Groups and much more!

Your top three highlights

Speakers of the 2023 Methods Symposium have been announced.

During this 2023 Methods Symposium, you will have the opportunity to learn from Cochrane experts and industry leaders and connect with like-minded professionals. During session #1 (Facilitating review and data reuse across the research ecosystem), esteemed speakers will shed light on how structured data can be leveraged across the research ecosystem. Session # 2 (Equity in evidence synthesis) delves into various perspectives on equity in evidence synthesis. More information is available on Cochrane's Methods and the Colloquium websites.

What you need to know about the new study centric data management in RevMan Web.

Authors now have access to a new data management feature – study centric data - when creating new reviews. Study centric data is one part of the changes happening in 2023 related to Cochrane's review and data formats. With study centric data, authors set up their review's inclusion criteria and analyses within RevMan Web in advance to facilitate data extraction and automatically populate their analyses. Check related resources in the study centric data management and analysis collection on Cochrane Training.

A new checklist for developing and reporting the questions addressed in systematic reviews of interventions is recommended to Cochrane authors.

In May 2023, Cochrane's Editor-in-Chief endorsed the Intervention Synthesis Questions (InSynQ) checklist as an optional resource for prospective authors developing systematic reviews of interventions. This checklist, one of the resources underpinning the study centric data management in RevMan Web, consists of 11 items that cover various aspects of the synthesis questions, including the specification of the synthesis questions and the role of groups in these syntheses. The InSynQ checklist will become a helpful resource for both new and experienced authors, editors, methodologists, and peer-reviewers, especially during the planning and protocol writing stages. More information on Cochrane's Methods Website.

Events and opportunities

Upcoming

● 7 June: ISBNPA Webinar Equity Considerations in Evidence Synthesis (with Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group and Prospective Meta-Analysis Methods Group).

● 13 June: Cochrane Training Learning Live sessions: Crossnma: An R package to synthesise cross-design evidence and cross-format data using network meta-analysis and network meta-regression. Open to Cochrane authors, editors and staff; registration required.

●22 June: Webinar Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) reporting guideline. Hosted by Evidence Synthesis Ireland. Open to all; registration required.

● 27 June: Webinar Sharing space at the research table: public and patient involvement in an evidence synthesis priority setting partnership. Hosted by Evidence Synthesis Ireland. Open to all; registration required.

● 6 July: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic: Developing a tool for detecting problematic RCTs in health systematic reviews: the INSPECT-SR project. Open to Cochrane authors, editors and staff; registration required.

● 3 August: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic: How can the framework for prospective, adaptive meta-analysis (FAME) be used to improve the quality of Cochrane reviews? Open to Cochrane authors, editors and staff; registration required.

● 5 October: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic: New guidance on using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool. Open to Cochrane authors, editors and staff; registration required.

● 23-25 October: Workshop Systematic reviews and meta-analysis of prognosis studies (with Prognosis Methods Group). Open to all; course fee applies.

Can you help with methods-related tasks? Browse Engage (formerly TaskExchange) for opportunities (tip! Filter by your specific skills). For more information on signing up and using the platform, see the instructions.

New resources

● Members of Patient Reported Outcomes describe a step-by-step approach for selecting an optimal minimal important difference in BMJ.

● Members of Prognosis compare analytical methods for predicting the risk of two survival outcomes both occurring in Statistics in Medicine.

● Members of GRADEing propose the minimal requirements to appropriately claim that the GRADE approach was used in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

● Members of Statistics assess the reporting in network meta-analysis of pharmacologic interventions according to their funding type in Systematic Reviews.

● Members of Equity report the results of a priority-setting exercise focused on identifying and prioritising reviews to be updated with a focus on health equity in the International Journal of Equity in Health.

● Members of Prognosis discuss analysis methods used for linear effect modification, non-linear associations and non-linear effect modification in individual-participant-data meta-analyses in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

● Members of GRADEing provide guidance about how to rate the certainty of evidence when study interventions or comparators differ from PICO targets in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

● Members of Prognosis introduce a new reporting guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prediction model research (TRIPOD-SRMA) in BMJ.

● Members of Comparing Multiple Interventions discuss ChatGPT and the perspectives on its utility to systematic reviews in Systematic Reviews.

● Members of Equity and GRADEing discuss key issues for stakeholder engagement in developing health and healthcare guidelines in Research Involvement and Engagement.

● Members of Adverse Effects introduce the CONSORT Harms 2022 statement, an updated guideline for reporting harms in randomised trials in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology and BMJ.

● Members of Rapid Reviews introduce a series of rapid reviews' methodological guidance about literature search, team considerations, study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment, involvement of knowledge users and assessment of the certainty of the evidence in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

Other news

● A volunteer opportunity on Cochrane Engage for someone with statistical data analysis experience (deadline 16 June). Check the post here.

● Early registration discount for the 2023 Cochrane Colloquium has been extended until 7 June. Submit your registration here.

Meet Tamara Lotfi of the Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group

1) What's the aim of the Methods Group, and who else is involved?

The Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group aims to encourage authors of Campbell and Cochrane reviews to include explicit descriptions of the effect of the interventions not only on the whole population but to describe their effect upon the disadvantaged and/or their ability to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health and to promote their use to the wider community. The Group is led by convenors Ashrita Saran (India), Elizabeth Kristjansson (Canada), Gabriel Rada (Chile), Kevin Pottie (Canada), Lawrence Mbuagbaw (Canada), Peter Tugwell (Canada), Vivian Welch (Canada) and myself, and supported by associate and assistant conveners, fellows and coordinated by Jennifer Petkovic (Canada).

2) What do you do outside of the Methods Group?

I co-lead the eCOVID19 Map of Recommendations & Gateway to Contextualization (RecMap) at Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre and MacGRADE Centre at the Health Research Evidence & Impact (HEI) Department at McMaster University, contribute to the development of Canadian guidelines for post-COVID Condition with the department, and contribute to the methods for contextualisation (adolopment) of recommendations.

3) What's your favourite thing about Cochrane?

Cochrane's global reach, its inclusive environment, especially for Low- & Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) because evidence knows no boundaries, and its colloquia! Thanks to Cochrane's fun colloquia, I met Peter Tugwell and Vivian Welch from the Cochrane Equity Group and joined the Equity team in 2016. We recently successfully built the new Cochrane Equity Thematic Group, which will allow us to expand our objectives to address equity in priority-setting, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and implementation tools. Stay tuned to hear about our work at the Cochrane Colloquium in London!

4) If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you take and why?

My first aid kit. I love taking risks, but I am a real hazard magnet ...

Find out more about the Campbell and Cochrane Equity Methods Group:

● Visit the Methods Group's website.

● Join by selecting the Methods Group in the Methods Network web form.

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