Abstract:
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Given the critical role of meta-analysis in the development of evidence-based clinical practice, it is important that both the researcher and the clinical practitioner be able to understand and interpret the meta-analyses that form a substantial portion of the relevant literature. It is perhaps equally important that such individuals be able to critically assess the quality of published meta-analyses, and that they develop an appropriate appreciation for the limitations of meta-analysis. Didactic exercises including hands-on and interactive classroom approaches are described and will be freely available to instructors. These include templates for meta-analysis critique, abstraction exercises, and applications using publicly available software. Finally, the systematic evaluation of the quality of meta-analysis represent an area of considerable activity in the recent literature, and numerous approaches and checklists have been put forward for this purpose. Exercises using some of these recently developed instruments will be presented and their didactic potential discussed.
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