April 2022 (next issue June 2022)

In this issue

1) A day with Equity Methods Group on 27 April 2022.

2) Call for feedback on SynQ: Synthesis Questions reporting checklist and guide.

3) Upcoming events and opportunities to get involved in, including webinars on statistics and qualitative evidence synthesis, and in-person training.

4) New resources include 'first-look' chapters from the new Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy, new version of the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions, webinar recordings and published guidance. 

5) Meet Anna Chaimani from Comparing Multiple Interventions (network meta-analysis) Methods Group.

6) And much more!

Your top highlights

1) A day with Equity Methods Group on 27 April 2022

Celebrate all things equity with the Equity Methods Group. There are lots of chances to get involved, including live sessions on priority setting, knowledge translation, diversity and mapping health equity, free access to training, and much more. Full details and how to register here.

2) Call for feedback on SynQ: Synthesis Questions reporting checklist and guide

Cochrane researchers have developed new guidance and invite any authors or editors of systematic reviews, with any level of experience, to provide feedback and inform it's development. Opportunities to provide general feedback or pilot the guide. Full details and how to do this here. 

Events and opportunities

Upcoming

14 April: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on new guidance for defining the questions to be addressed in the synthesis of intervention reviews (with Statistics Methods Group). For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

25 April: GRADE CERQual hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

27 April: A day with Equity Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

5 May: The ROB-MEN tool to evaluate the risk of bias due to missing evidence in network meta-analysis with Statistics Methods Group.

12 May: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on writing up Risk of Bias 2. For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

16 May: Integrating qualitative evidence syntheses with intervention effect findings hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Open to all, free to attend.

25-27 May: Course on network meta-analysis, Biarritz, France, with leads from Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group. Open to all, course fee applies.

9 June: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on preferred and accepted risk of bias tools for non-randomised studies of interventions. For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

21-22 July: Course on assessing bias in randomised and non-randomised studies, Colorado, USA, with leads from Bias Methods Group and Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group. Open to all, course fee applies.

11 August: Cochrane Methods Support Unit web clinic with a focus on the development of materials to facilitate presentation and statistical synthesis when data are not amendable to meta-analysis (with Statistics Methods Group). For Cochrane authors, editors and staff, free to attend.

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

NEW TASK! Call for feedback on SynQ: Synthesis Questions reporting checklist and guide

New resources

1) Release of version 6.3 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and February 2022 version of MECIR. 

2) Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy (version 2), led by the Screening and Diagnostic Test Methods Group, released Chapter 7 (searching for and selecting studies), Chapter 9 (assessing risk of bias and applicability), Chapter 12 (presenting findings) and Chapter 14 (writing a plain language summary). Available for individual Cochrane members for personal use only, Cochrane account required for access. 

3) Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) published a new article on Qualitative Evidence Syntheses, Differences From Reviews of Intervention Effectiveness and Implications for Guidance.

4) Individual Participant Data Methods Group published a paper on sharing individual participant data using a systematic reviewer lens.

5) Thematic synthesis hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Recording now available.

6) Meta-ethnography hosted by Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. Recording now available.

7) Developing the Cochrane Review implications for research section hosted by the Methods Support Unit. Recording now available.

8) Common errors in summary of findings tables hosted by the Methods Support Unit. Recording now available.

Other news

1) Welcoming Cinzia Del Giovane to the Cochrane Council as methods representative.

2) Community blog on a new evaluation of 'empty reviews'.

2) Podcast on strategies that might help to encourage people to continue to participate in a randomised trial (based on a Cochrane Methodology Review).

Meet Anna Chaimani of the Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group

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

Cochrane’s Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group covers methodology of network meta-analysis and overviews of reviews. The Group is led by Convenors Deborah Caldwell (UK), Tianjing Li (USA), Lisa Hartling (Canada) and myself.

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

I am a Research Scientist at the Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in France, working on new statistical methods and software development for pairwise and network meta-analysis. I inform my research agenda through interesting discussions with a glass of wine or while skiing with other Convenors.

3) What's your favourite thing about Cochrane?

The Cochrane Colloquia through which I have established important collaborations but also good friendships.

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

All the books that I don’t have time to read right now, my music playlists to keep me calm, and a snorkel mask to explore the underwater world.  

Find out more about the Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group:

●    Visit the Methods Group’s website

●    Read the Methods Group’s 2021 spotlight on report

●    Join by selecting the Methods Group in the Methods Network webform