Saturday 20 September 2014

1. #CochraneTech Symposium 2014| Hyderabad| India

Click on the link for more details. 

Registration: Registration covers the symposium, refreshments, and lunch. If you are registering for the Colloquium, please select this option. If you plan only to attend this event, please create an account on this webiste and select only the option for the #CochraneTech Symposium. Please go to the bottom of this page to register for this symposium only. If you want to register for the Cochrane Colloquium as well, please follow the Registration Guidelines.

Venue: HICC - MR G 03 and MR G 04 (Ground Floor)

2.   Symposium 2014| Hyderabad| India

Evidence Aid, a decade on from the Indian Ocean tsunami: Knowledge for those affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises

Venue: Hotel AVASA (click here for map)

Who should attend: This symposium is meant for policy makers, academics, humanitarian aid agencies and those preparing for and responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises; both at the policy and ground level. Our special invitees are Sphere India, the National Disaster Management Authority of India, and many others. 

Confirmed speakers: Confirmed speakers for the Symposium include: Mike Clarke (founder of Evidence Aid), Prathap Tharyan (South Asian Cochrane Centre), Claire Allen (Evidence Aid), Bonnix Kayabu (Evidence Aid), Donal O’Mathuna (Dublin City University), Dominic Mellon (Evidence Aid), Howard White (3ie), Jian Li (WHO), Liz Waters (Cochrane Public Health Group), Vikrant Mahajan (Sphere India), Satya Paul Agarwal (Red Cross) and Kumarjyoti Nath (President, Institution of Public Health Engineers, India).

Highlights of the symposium:

1. A round table discussion about what NGOs, and those preparing for and responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises, would like to see from Evidence Aid and how these could potentially be integrated.
2. The vision for Evidence Aid over the next 5-10 years.
3. Two-way engagement with those in countries affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises, such as India, and countries in the region.

Registration: Registration is free, and covers the symposium, refreshments, and lunch. If you are registering for the Colloquium, please select this option (no additional fee). If you plan only to attend this event, please create an account on this webiste and select only the option for the Evidence Aid Symposium. We will limit open registrations to 120 on a first-come, first-served basis. If you do register and change your mind about attending, do let us know so that we can offer your place to others. Please go to the bottom of this page to register for this symposium only. If you want to register for the Cochrane Colloquium as well, please follow the Registration Guidelines.

For further information about Evidence Aid, click here.

Sunday 21 September 2014

1. Cochrane Methods Symposium 2014| Hyderabad| India

Towards a research agenda for methods of public health systematic reviews

The Hyderabad Colloquium will focus on Evidence Informed Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges. It will be preceded by a Cochrane Methods Symposium which will address key methodological challenges for conducting Cochrane Reviews of public health and health system interventions and why these reviews are important. Methods covered will include searching the public health literature, intervention and review complexity, taking account of stakeholder outcome preferences, bias assessment and synthesis of mixed data, Bayesian methods for meta-analysis, interpretation of data and communication of findings. 

Confirmed speakers include:

Liz Waters, the Jack Brockhoff Chair of Public Health and Director of the Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is also the Co-ordinating Editor of the Public Health Group.

N. Sreekumaran Nair, Professor of Biostatistics & Head of the Department of Statistics, Manipal University, India, and Statistical Editor, Cochrane Public Health Group.

James Thomas, Professor of Social Research and Policy, Associate Director of the Evidence of Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre at the Institute of Education at the University of London,UK, and Co-convenor of the Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group.

Angela Harden Professor of Community and Family Health, Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London and Co-convenor of the Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group.

Jo McKenzie, Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Australia, Co-convenor of the Statsitical Methods Group.

Elie Akl, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Unit at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. 

Other Speakers include Jane Noyes, Alison Weightman, Daniel Francis, Ruth Turley, Rebecca Armstrong, Hugh Waddington, Hilary Thomson and Kirsty Jones.

Please see programme for further details.  

There will be no charge to attend this event for those registered for the Colloquium; however, participants will be expected to register for this symposium.Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Please visit our website http://methods.cochrane.org/projects-developments/methods-symposium or contact Maria Burgess mburgess@cochrane.org, if you require further information.

Venue: HICC - MR G 05 and MR G 06 (Ground Floor)

2. Getting the Evidence Right: Critical appraisal and peer-review of research to inform health decisions

This workshop is organized by the International Society for Evidence-Based Health Care, The BMJ, the National Medical Journal of India and the Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors, in partnership with the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics.

Objectives:

This workshop aims to:

1. Foster evidence based practice by equipping participants with skills to use research evidence effectively to inform decision-making; and
2. Help participants understand how scientific peer review works and build skills to become a good peer reviewer.

Target audience:

We welcome students in the health sciences, clinicians, faculty, and researchers.  The level of knowledge required is basic; beginners and people with more advanced levels of knowledge will benefit.

Description:

This one day workshop will comprise of two sessions:

Session 1: Critical Appraisal of Published Research [4 hours; 9.00 am – 1.00 pm]

The workshop will take participants through a systematic approach to appraise published research for its relevance, validity, importance, and applicability.  The starting point of the workshop will be a clinical scenario from which participants will develop a well-formulated clinical question in PICO format. Principles of reviewing literature will be discussed with special reference to a randomized controlled trial addressing a treatment question. Participants will then be divided into small groups to appraise a research paper with the help of a provided check list and present their report. In the ensuing discussion, the following points will be covered:

• How relevant was the research vis-à-vis the clinical question arising from the scenario? Was the design and conduct of the study appropriate? How generalizable were the results? If you were a systemic reviewer, what elements of the question and design might help you decide whether to include this article in a systematic review? The concept of heterogeneity will be introduced.
• How would you assess the risk of bias of the study and why does this matter?
• The reporting/transparency of the study: Details of prospective registration will be explained. The CONSORT and SPIRIT checklists will be presented, and the importance of EQUATOR as a resource both for planning research and for understanding it.
• Assessing the quality of the evidence and knowing what the results mean in the context of the decision that needs to be made or for inclusion of the study in a systematic review.

Session 2: Peer Review [4 hours; 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm]

Participants will have the opportunity to hear from a panel of editors on the screening and peer review process within journals and within the Cochrane Collaboration. This will help authors understand what journals look for in manuscripts and how to respond to reviewers’ comments. The basics of a well-formulated research question and selection of appropriate study design will be explained. A specific focus of the workshop will be on interpreting the statistical information presented in the paper which will cover common outcome measures used in clinical research, and the concepts of statistical significance and clinical significance. Through case scenarios, principles of research and publication ethics will be discussed. The faculty will present elements of a good peer review report.

Participants will be divided into small groups and asked to prepare a peer review report for a research paper. The faculty will evaluate these reports and provide feedback. 

Venue: HICC - MR G 03 and MR G 04 (Ground Floor)

Time: 09:00 – 18:00 hours

Seating limit: 50 to 60 (maximum 100; so hurry, spaces are limited)

Registration: Registration is free, and covers the symposium, refreshments, and lunch. We will limit registrations to 100 on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you do register and change your mind about attending, do let us know so that we can offer your place to others. If you are registering for the Colloquium, please select this option (no additional fee). Please go to the bottom of this page to register for this workshop only. If you want to register for the Cochrane Colloquium as well, please follow the Registration Guidelines.

Faculty:

Kameshwar Prasad: International Society of Evidence-Based Health Care (ISEHC)

Trish Groves: The BMJ

Anita Jain: The BMJ

Peush Sahni: National Medical Journal of India | Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors (IAMJE)

Amar Jessani: Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (IJME)

Harshpal Sachdev:  Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group

A detailed agenda will follow shortly. 

3. Wikipedia & Cochrane Symposium

This is an open meeting for all Wikipedians, as well as those who are interested in getting involved in editing Wikipedia.

Target audience: Current and potential Wikipedians with interest in editing articles relevant to all aspects of health care.

Description:

In 2013 Cochrane and Wikipedia initiated a partnership to improve the evidence base of Wikipedia articles on healthcare topics. In support of this partnership, Cochrane has appointed Sydney Poore as our first Wikipedian in Residence, and sponsored 100 free subscriptions to The Cochrane Library for use by Wikipedia healthcare editors.

This pre-conference symposium will provide an opportunity to bring together some of the most established contributors to Cochrane evidence and Wikipedia healthcare content worldwide, working in both English and South Asian languages. Through this event, we hope to highlight the importance and relevance of this partnership to both organisations, establish and develop relationships between the Cochrane and Wikipedia communities, and inspire broader participation in furthering the partnership.

The content will include presentations, discussion, and demonstrations on a number of relevant topics, including:

• how to cite high-quality sources such as systematic reviews within Wikipedia
• how best to strengthen the partnership to advance our shared goal of providing high-quality evidence-based healthcare information
• how to get involved in the partnership initiative

If you’re interested in getting the highest-quality healthcare evidence into the most-used healthcare resource in the world, join us on 21 September and find out more!

Date and time: 21/09/2014: 09:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs

Venue: Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) Hyderabad| Plot # 1, A N V Arcade| Amar Co-operative Society, Kavuri Hills| Madhapur| Hyderabad- 500033|Tel: 91 40 49006000

Directions:

The IPPH is:

• 6 km from the Novotel Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the Colloquium venue. For directions and a map: click here.
• 4.3 km from Lemon Tree Premier and Red Fox (other Colloquium Hotels). For directions and a map: click here.
• 3.4 km from Hotel Avasa, a Colloquium Hotel. For directions and a map: click here.

Seating limit: 50 (so hurry, spaces are limited)

Registration: There is no charge to attend this symposium, but prior registration is required, and spaces are limited. Registration covers your attendance at this sympsoium, refreshments, and lunch. To register: Scroll down to the bottom of this page.

The Wikipedia & Cochrane Symposium will be the first of a series of related events featuring the Cochrane/Wikipedia partnership during the 22nd Cochrane Colloquium at Hyderabad. Other events planned include a special session, two workshops, and a Wikipedia editing booth – more details on dates and locations of the workshops and editing booth to follow soon! To attend the special session and workshops, and visit the editing booth, you need to create an account and register for the scientific sessions of the Colloquium. Please read the registration guidelines.

 4.Cochrane Register of Studies pre-Colloquium training day

Objectives: 
To cover a range of topics relating to the use of the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS) and CRS Online (CRSO) by Trials Search Co-ordinators. 

Description: 
Through a combination of presentations, demonstrations and small group work, participants will have an opportunity to explore a range of issue relating to use of the CRS. Topics to be covered will include data entry standardization, the role of the CRS in the clean-up of Central Records, the relationship between CRS and CRSO and approaches to register studification. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and raise issues of interest to them. The workshop is directed specifically at Trials Search Co-ordinators or anyone responsible for maintaining a Specialized Register.

Facilitators: 

Target audience:  

Venue: HICC - MR 1.07 (First Floor)

Date&Time: Sunday september 21,  09:30-17:30 hours

Registration: Free for those registered for the Colloquium but you have to sign up (limited to 25 people, so sign up early). 

Monday 22nd September 2014

1. Methods for Cochrane Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy

This one-day workshop, organised by the Cochrane Screening and Diagnostic Test Methods Group, is designed for individuals interested in understanding key issues in the design and conduct of Cochrane reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. The workshop combines our series of workshops usually run throughout the Colloquium into a one-day programme, and will be delivered through a mixture of interactive presentations, discussions and small group exercises.

The workshop is based on guidelines as formulated in the Handbook for Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews. Participants will be introduced to the process of question formulation for a DTA review; the methodology for quality assessment; the principles of meta-analysis and recommended statistical methods; potential sources of heterogeneity and methods for assessing heterogeneity; comparisons of test accuracy; and presenting and interpreting results. 

Target audience: Authors and others interested in diagnostic test accuracy reviews

Level of knowledge required: Basic but knowledge of meta-analysis and meta-regression for intervention reviews will be an advantage.

Type of workshop: Training

Venue: HICC - MR G 03 and MR G 04 (Ground Floor)

Time: 09:00 to 17:00 hrs

Access: Open to all registered for the colloquium, but you have to sign up. Please see the bottom of this page. 

Click here to download Programme

Faculty: 

Chris Hyde | Clare Davenport | Jon Deeks | Mariska Leeflang | Penny Whiting | Petra Macaskill | Rob Scholten| Yemisi Takwoningi

 2. Interpreting results of Cochrane reviews and Summary of Findings Tables: GRADE and SoF Workshop- Fully Booked.  

 This workshop is available for authors of reviews, editors and staff of Cochrane Review Groups, and people interested in learning about GRADE and Summary of Findings Tables (SoF).

Our goal is to help you:

1. learn to interpret and assess the results of a systematic review, and present the evidence using the GRADE approach
2. create a 'Summary of Findings' (SoF) table, and
3. use the software to create SoFs: GDT (new online version of GRADEpro for PC and Mac users).

Much of this workshop is interactive, with hands-on work and small group discussions. We will describe the GRADE criteria (risk of bias, inconsistency, imprecision, indirectness, publication bias and others) and teach participants to use the GDT software – the new online software for PC and Mac users. The goal is for participants to apply and practice using GRADE. Depending on interest, there will also be time for small flexible working groups to specifically discuss GRADE and its application in guideline development, editorial issues with GRADE and SoFs, GRADE and diagnostic reviews, SoFs for complex reviews, or advanced issues in GRADE.

Note: Participants should come with laptops or plan to share with someone.

Venue: HICC - MR G 01 and MR G 02 (Ground Floor)

Time: 0900-1700 hours

Registration: Free for those registered for the Colloquium but you have to sign up (limited to 50 people, so sign up early).