Literature Review & Synthesis Flashcards

Which tool is designed to assess risk of bias in randomized controlled trials?

Answer: Cochrane RoB 2

Cochrane's RoB 2 tool evaluates bias domains such as randomization, deviations, missing data, measurement and selective reporting in RCTs.

The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale is most appropriately used to appraise which study design?

Answer: Non-randomized cohort and case-control studies

The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale assesses the quality of non-randomized observational studies such as cohort and case-control designs.

In the GRADE approach, evidence from randomized trials starts at high certainty but can be downgraded for which reason?

Answer: Inconsistency of results across studies

GRADE downgrades for risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision and publication bias.

In a meta-analysis, a high I² statistic (e.g., 80%) indicates what?

Answer: Substantial heterogeneity among study results

I² estimates the percentage of variability in effect estimates due to heterogeneity rather than chance.

When substantial heterogeneity is expected across studies, which meta-analytic model is usually preferred?

Answer: Random-effects model

A random-effects model assumes true effects vary across studies and accounts for between-study variance.

An asymmetric funnel plot in a meta-analysis most often suggests which problem?

Answer: Possible publication bias or small-study effects

Funnel plot asymmetry can indicate that small studies with unfavorable results are missing, suggesting publication or small-study bias.

In a forest plot, what does a study's confidence interval crossing the line of no effect indicate?

Answer: The study's result is not statistically significant

A confidence interval that includes the null value means the effect is not statistically significant at that confidence level.