Systematic reviews are regarded as the cornerstone of evidence-based decision making across many disciplines. The teaching of systematic review methods is thus very important, yet it is a field that still remains unexplored. In this paper, we will outline an approach for teaching non-clinicians about systematic reviews at the University of Cologne. Our aim was to cast some light on the challenges involved and to stimulate discussion and discourse on this topic. Out of a total of twelve weeks of teaching (1.5hours per week), nine of them included hands-on exercises that cover all the steps involved in a systematic review, from defining a specific review question up to conducting and interpreting meta-analyses. The course was based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions that provide specific guidance for the development and assessment of systematic reviews. A well-reported, well-conducted systematic review was used as a working example throughout the course. The course was taught by an experienced systematic reviewer without input from additional experts such as information specialists or biometricians. To improve the learning success, four fields of challenge were identified: the selection of appropriate topics for the course assignment, the selection of an appropriate guiding review, specific requirements related for the lecturer, and the integration of methodological progress.
Keywords: Ausbildung; Education; Lehre; Meta-analysis; Metaanalyse; Systematic review; Systematische Übersichtsarbeit; Teaching.
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