0 Course Meta-analyses VU: Why are meta analyses important
Channel: Pim Cuijpers
Date: 2016-11-15

Course Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Psychological Interventions of the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam

This is video number 0 on how to conduct a Meta-Analysis in mental health research. These videos were shot at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2014, and they represent the content of the course ‘Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Psychological Interventions’ that is given by prof. dr. Pim Cuijpers in the Research master Clinical and Developmental Psychopathology.

Course content:
The number of studies examining relevant research questions is staggering. Each year thousands of new randomized controlled trials are conducted, and endless numbers of epidemiological and experimental studies are published each year. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews can help researchers, but also consumers and policy makers to summarize the results of multiple studies. Meta‐analyses have become a major instrument for summarizing results of scientific research, and they are widely used for making policy decisions, develop treatment guidelines, and set priorities for new research. In this course students learn why Meta-analyses are important and learn all basic steps that have to be taken in order to conduct a Meta-analysis.

HOMEWORK

0.A. Introduction
• In this course the book ‘Meta-Analyses in mental health research: A practical guide’ by Pim Cuijpers, Ph.D. (2016, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) will be used, this can be downloaded from the following site: https://indd.adobe.com/view/5fc8f9a0-bf1e-49d3-bf5f-a40bfe5409e0
• Optional: For more information on this topic you can consult the Cochrane Handbook (Higgins, J.P.T., Green, S. (Eds). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Wiley, 2011). You can find the free online version at: http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/  

0.B. What are meta-analyses and why are they important?
• Read chapter 0 of the Meta-Analyses book
• (Optional) Read paragraph 1.2 of the Cochrane Handbook
If you have questions about this course, please do not hesitate to contact us at meta-analysis@vu.nl