Guiding Teams through Risk of Bias Tools in Systematic Reviews

Live! Wednesday, November 1st, 2022 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PST – Sign Up here!

About the MLA Webinar

Librarians typically make their greatest contribution to systematic reviews in the comprehensive search part of the review process. Hendren and Ledbetter, who together have contributed to over 80 reviews, will show you how you can add another skill to your review skillset: Providing guidance to teams and researchers on selecting and utilizing a risk of bias tool.

Conducting a risk of bias assessment to identify design and other flaws and limitations in studies is an important step in the review process, one filled with challenges for new and experienced teams. In this webinar, you’ll get an overview of what risk of bias is, how assessing risk of bias differs from critical appraisal, and why identifying bias is so important to the review process. You’ll receive advice and guidance on supporting review teams through the risk of bias phase of the review process and learn the points in the process where you can discuss the risk of bias tools with teams.

Hendren and Ledbetter will share industry standard methodological guidelines from Cochrane and other sources, demonstrate the Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository, and show you common features among risk of bias tools. You’ll have an opportunity to practice locating tools and will learn of other repositories, websites, and guides you can use when advising teams.

You’ll leave with skills and knowledge that will help researchers follow best practices in choosing and using risk of bias tools and help you develop new review methodology skills and advance in your career.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the difference between risk of bias (RoB) assessment and critical appraisal
• Advise systematic review teams on methodologies for assessing risk of bias in systematic reviews
• Advise teams on best practices in selecting a risk of bias tool

Audience

Librarians in any setting who work with systematic review teams or provide assistance on systematic reviews. While knowledge about the general systematic review process may be helpful, it is not required.

Presenters

Steph Hendren, AHIP is a Research and Education Librarian at Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives. She is the liaison to the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs and an instructor for the systematic review class taught to Duke University affiliates. To date, she has worked on over 50 systematic reviews. She is also a co-creator of the Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository.

Leila Ledbetter, AHIP is a Research and Education Librarian at Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives. She is the liaison to the School of Nursing program and an instructor for the systematic review class taught to Duke University affiliates. Leila has been supporting systematic reviews at Duke for ten years and has published 30 systematic reviews. She is also a co-creator of the Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository.