CCInfo: Electronic news bulletin of The Cochrane Collaboration 9 November 2006 Contents: A. Participants Required - $75 Reward B. Changes in the Reporting Bias Methods Group (RBMG) C. CENTRAL Vision Group - Strategic plan D. Third Annual Cochrane in Ireland Conference E. Review Completion Workshop Postponed F. University of Oxford Courses G. Course - Advanced Statistics for Medical and Health Research H. Leeds Systematic Review Course I. Next Issue of CCInfo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX A. Sender: Jennifer Horton [jhorton@med.ualberta.ca] Subject: Participants Required - $75 Reward Dear Cochrane colleagues: We are still actively recruiting for the following study. If you are interested in participating, please see the letter below for study details and a link to the participant questionnaire. Thank you so much for your considering our request. Dear Colleague, Study Title: Data extraction in systematic reviews Principal Investigator: Terry P. Klassen I am writing on behalf of Dr. Terry Klassen, Coordinator of the Cochrane Child Health Field, regarding a study we are conducting to assess data extraction in systematic reviews. Through this research, we aim to improve systematic review methodology. If you are interested in participating, and are enrolled in the study, we will reimburse you $75 CAD for your participation upon completion of the study. We will also provide you with a summary of the findings. If you are interested in participating in the study, the first step is for you to complete a questionnaire. Based on your match with eligibility criteria, and whether or not our quota has been reached, we will make a decision as to whether you will be enrolled in the study. If you are eligible to participate and our quota has not been reached, you will be asked to complete an informed consent form prior to participation. None of the investigators of this study will be aware of your decision on participation, since you will be identified by number and not by name, and you will communicate solely with me during the course of the study. I will be the contact person for the study, but I will not be involved in data analysis or interpretation. We will notify you if you are not eligible to participate or if our quota has been reached. We expect that the amount of time you will need to devote to this study is minimal. First, you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire that will take approximately 15 minutes of your time. By completing the questionnaire, you will have implied your consent to take part in the screening process for the study. If you are enrolled in the study, you will be asked to extract data from three articles, track the time spent extracting data from each article, and have completed the data extraction forms by Friday, December 01, 2006. Based on the results of a previous study we conducted, we anticipate that it will take about 60 minutes/study for data extraction. Therefore, we expect that you will spend approximately 3 hours on data extraction. You will be considered to have completed the study if you complete data extraction on three studies using the online data extraction forms by Friday, December 01, 2006. Reimbursement will be pro-rated for participants who complete some of the data extraction and then choose to withdraw. The project is funded by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (formerly Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment), and has received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board. If you are interested in participating in this study, please proceed with completion of the questionnaire at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=876692059269 by Friday, November 10, 2006. You will be notified as to whether you are eligible to participate in the study or whether our quota has been reached by Wednesday, November 15, 2006. Please contact me at marilyn.josefsson@ualberta.ca or 780-492-1078 if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Marilyn Josefsson Administrative Assistant University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center/ Alberta Research Centre for Child Health Evidence E-mail: marilyn.josefsson@ualberta.ca Tel: 780-492-1078 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX B. Sender: Tina Hutchinson [THutchinson@cheo.on.ca] Subject: Changes in the Reporting Bias Methods Group (RBMG) The Bias Methods Group (BMG) formerly the Reporting Bias Methods Group (RBMG) The RBMG has undergone a name change and remit expansion. The BMG will continue to strive to raise awareness of the problem of reporting bias and explore important questions with respect to the epidemiology of research results and outcomes. It will also investigate a wider range of different forms of bias which include; publication bias, language bias, bias due to selective reporting of outcomes and bias due to the flawed conduct of primary studies. The BMG scope now includes topics previously encompassed in the remit of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group (SMG). The BMG has received full support from all the Statistical Methods Group co-convenors for our remit expansion. We are very pleased to announce at this time that Professor Doug Altman from SMG has joined the BMG as a co-convenor. Professor Altman will also maintain his role as a co-convenor with the SMG. As the newly expanded BMG moves ahead in its new direction we are excited to begin working closely with the SMG and looking forward to our continued collaborations with our co-convenors and coordinators. Should you wish to acquire further information about the BMG or obtain our contact information please visit our website www.chalmersresearch.com/bmg. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new members! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX C. Sender: Karen Robinson [krobin@jhmi.edu] Subject: CENTRAL Vision Group - Strategic plan As promised during the Colloquium, the CENTRAL Vision Group has posted the proposed strategic plan and appendix materials on the Cochrane website (http://www.cochrane.org/admin/structure.htm#cvg). Also posted are the full results from the TSC and internal surveys. Appendix B of the strategic plan includes the abridged results from these two surveys and the full report of the general survey. Thank you once again to everyone who contributed their thoughts and ideas by participating in the surveys or interviews. for the CVG, Karen XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX D. Sender: Dónal O'Mathúna [cochrane@dcu.ie] Subject: Third Annual Cochrane in Ireland Conference Conference: Third Annual Cochrane in Ireland Conference Host: School of Nursing, Dublin City University Date: 1 February 2007 Location: Dublin City University, School of Nursing, Rm HG23 This year’s conference includes a new development – a display of original posters on relevant research and practice topics. Posters may present a Cochrane protocol or review, or address issues related to conducting systematic reviews or applying evidence to practice. Deadline for submission of abstracts is November 30, 2006. Contact: Further details can be found at www.dcu.ie/cochrane along with registration forms. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX E. Sender: [prathap@cmcvellore.ac.in] Subject: Review Completion Workshop Postponed Workshop: Cochrane Review completion workshop Host: South Asian Cochrane Network New Date: Changed from November 6-8, 2006 to December 18-20, 2006 Location: South Asian Cochrane Network-coordinating site (www.cochrane-sacn.org) Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India Cost: Rs. 750: this covers course materials, refreshments and lunch on workshop days and a social evening. Due to requests from review authors, the proposed review completion workshop scheduled for November 6-8, 2006 has been postponed to December 18-20, 2006 This is a hands on workshop for those with published protocols for Cochrane Reviews, or with registered Titles who have submitted protocols for publication, who now wish to complete their reviews It is expected that participants would have completed their search for trials, selected trials for inclusion/exclusion, and obtained hard copies of included trials. The workshop will help participants extract data from trial reports, set up comparisons in RevMan and enter data, perform meta-analyses, assess heterogeneity, perform relevant sub-group and sensitivity analyses, evaluate for publication bias, write up and interpret results. Limited to 35 participants. Priority for those residing in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. Closing date: December 5, 2006 Contact: Zenobia Kanagaraj, Administrator, SACN at cochrane@cmcvellore.ac.in for details about registration and accommodation. Registration from can be downloaded from www.cochrane-sacn.org. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX F. Sender: Annette Yang [cpdhealth@conted.ox.ac.uk] Subject: University of Oxford Courses a. Course: Patient Based Evidence Host: University of Oxford Date: 15 January 2007 (online), 29 January - 1 February 2007 (face-to-face) Details: This course in Patient Based Evidence aims to develop informed users of a range of different types of measures including health related quality of life. It covers conceptual ideas, properties of measurement, cross-cultural issues and economic aspects. The aim of the course is to help students become informed users of health-related quality of life measures, while understanding the broader research and policy context in which such measurement is placed. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd/PBE07 b. Course: Statistics for Health Research Host: University of Oxford Date: 22 January 2007 (10 weeeks online) Details: This online statistics course is designed for busy health and social care professionals who need to understand the basics of health statistics without becoming statisticians. Students can study at the time of day and week that is best for them. Online tutorial support is provided and concepts are applied to real-life scenarios. The course is designed around student-student and student-tutor communication to ensure that students are able to develop a sense of an online learning community to support and motivate them during the 10-week duration. This course is built upon material developed in face to face teaching on the University of Oxford MSc in Evidence Based Health Care and was supported financially by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The BBSRC support was essential in getting this project off the ground and made it possible to develop the high standard of online materials. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd/stats07 c. Course: Systematic Reviews Host: University of Oxford Date: 19, 21, 23, 26, 28 February 2007 Details: This 5-day course will take the participants through the process of doing a systematic review, focusing on the practicalities rather than the theory. It will consider the practical aspects of: question formulation; study identification; appraisal of quality; data extraction and collection; statistical synthesis; reporting. Due to popular demand, the course is run several times a year. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd/SR07 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX G. Sender: [G.Louw@bton.ac.uk] Subject: Course - Advanced Statistics for Medical and Health Research Course: Advanced Statistics for Medical and Health Research Host: University of Brighton, Institute of Postgraduate Medicine, Faculty of Health Date: 13 - 17 November 2006 Location: Falmer Campus, University of Brighton Cost: £390 (Includes learning materials & VAT) This can contribute toward CPD and also a 20 Maters Level Credit as part of a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters award. This is a five-day module for all health professionals who wish to improve their understanding and use of statistical methods and techniques. It is a pragmatic module with a practical emphasis to enable participants to apply their learning to applications using SPSS or Minitab. This module will help participants produce reports demonstrating their ability to manipulate, interpret and apply data in research and real life situations. Topics - Refresher on basic statistics - Simple and multiple linear regression - Analysis of residuals - Interactions - Assumptions and interpretations - Cluster analysis and survival analysis - Survival tables - Applications in questionnaire design - Statistics in questionnaire design - Principle component analysis - Reliability statistics - Validity Contact: For an application form or further details contact the Programme Administrator: Tel: 01273 644190 Email: pgmsenq@brighton.ac.uk www.brighton.ac.uk/pgms XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX H. Sender: Jun Xia [J.Xia@leeds.ac.uk] Subject: Leeds Systematic Review Course Course: Leeds Systematic Review Course Host: University of Leeds Date: 8-11 May 2007 Location: Worsley Building, University of Leeds Cost: £550. All learning materials, lunch and refreshments are included. Details: This course will appeal to all those interested in completing a Cochrane-style review. Experienced tutors and facilitators will be available to give delegates practical and individual advice. Study methods are small group teaching, workshops, library-based interactive tutorials with hands on practical work at computer stations and group work. Contact: For course content enquiries Jun Xia, Tel: 0113 343 1896 Email: j.xia@leeds.ac.uk XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I. Sender: Andrew Champion [Andrew.Champion@nccc.wales.nhs.uk] Subject: Job ads Position: 2 x Systematic Reviewers/Researchers (x1 full time and x1 part time) Organisation: The National Collaborating Centre For Cancer (NCC-C) Location: Cardiff, Wales Contact: For further details on the above post, please contact Angela Melder, Senior Researcher on 029 2040 2915 or Dr Andrew Champion, Centre Manager on 029 2040 2929. For an application pack, please contact Human Resources, Trust Headquarters on 029 2019 6175, or e-mail: sally.angell@velindre-tr.wales.nhs.uk, quoting the relevant reference number. Closing date: Friday 24th November 2006 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX J. Sender: Cheryl Arratoon [cochrane@uottawa.ca] Subject: Next Issue of CCInfo The next issue of CCInfo will be published 23 November 2006. Please submit your items to cochrane@uottawa.ca and please include "CCInfo" in the subject line. Unless you request otherwise, your submissions to the CCInfo may be duplicated in other regular Cochrane Collaboration news channels such as Cochrane News and the Cochrane Collaboration web site, at the discretion of the editors. regards, Cheryl Cheryl Arratoon Knowledge Broker Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre 1 Stewart St (227) Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5 Email: cochrane@uottawa.ca Web: www.cochrane.uottawa.ca XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the CCInfo list, please go to http://lists.cochrane.org/mailman/listinfo/ccinfo, or contact the Editor at cochrane@uottawa.ca.