Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis virtual workshop – on 17th & 23rd November 2021

Organized by the 3Rs Centre in Laboratory Animal Science in Sri Lanka, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Association for Laboratory Animal Science and the Sri Lanka College of Veterinary Surgeons (SLCVS).

In the last decade or so, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (SR & MA) has become an important method to present information scientifically but accurately too compared to an overview given in a narrative review. In this context SR & MA is considered as the pinnacle of an evidence-based pyramid. A SR focuses on a single question compared to an overview included in a narrative review. Also, a SR may include a MA in order to analyse statistically the data extracted through a well-designed SR.  When conducting a SR & MA, it is necessary to go through several steps; Formulation of a review question, Defining inclusion and exclusion criteria, Developing search strategy and locating studies (published research articles), Selecting studies based on the identified criteria, Extracting data from the selected studies, Assessing study quality, Analysing extracted data and interpreting results and finally disseminating the findings of the SR & MA. It also provides clues on future directions of research.

When SR & MA are conducted on animal-based research studies it provides several advantages i.e. to prevent unnecessary duplication of research and thereby to reduce the number of animals used in a research study. This makes researchers to adhere more to the 3Rs Principle in animal-based research.

Without having a proper knowledge on how to conduct a SR & MA, it may misguide a newcomer to the field. It is necessary to learn and practice the steps of conducting a SR & MA.

Therefore, the main aim of this workshop was to impart knowledge on SR & MA to the interested parties and to make them familiarized about the correct method of performing a SR & MA. Both sessions were attended by 54 local and 5 international participants.

Following sessions were included;

  • Introduction to SR & MA by Prof Mangala Gunatilake
  • How to perform a SR by Prof Ranil Jayawardane
  • How to perform a MA by Prof Priyanga Ranasignhe
  • Experience sharing on a SR conducted by Dr. Hasanthi Rathnadiwakara

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