Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Principles and Practice

Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Principles and Practice is organized by Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q) and will be held from Nov 15 - 16, 2025 at Medbay (Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar), Ar Rayyan, Doha, Qatar.

Overview:
Reliable scientific evidence is key for empirically grounded healthcare practice. The best scientific evidence comes from the critical analysis and synthesis of all the available studies and not from individual studies. Such analytical approaches, called systematic reviews – including meta-analyses, provide invaluable guidance on evidence-based healthcare and medical practice. They help healthcare providers and institutions ensure delivery of optimal, safe, effective and patient-centered care. Additionally, systematic reviews support evidence-based practices in public health, research and education. Specifically, a systematic review is a type of literature review that is conducted following a rigorous, transparent, and consistent process. It aims to identify, select, appraise, and synthesize in an unbiased manner all available secondary data to answer a specific and well-formulated research question. The workshop will introduce participants to the process of conducting a rigorous systematic review and interpreting meta-analysis, based on scientific principles, systematic methodology, and standardized guidelines.

Overall Learning Objective:

• Define evidence-based medicine, systematic review, and meta-analysis
• Describe the steps required to conduct a systematic review
• Show how to interpret the findings of a meta-analysis