Systematic review

Systematic reviews are key elements in evidence-based healthcare and clinical guidelines. This course focuses on systematic reviews in intervention research. Systematic reviews use a systematic and transparent approach to identify all relevant articles, appraise the risk of bias, examine sources of variation, and, if appropriate, meta-analyse the results of the primary studies. This systematic approach distinguishes high-quality systematic reviews from traditional, so-called narrative, reviews and low-quality systematic reviews.
This course will offer a mix of lectures and practicals that will help the student to perform all of these steps in practice. In addition, specific challenges to systematic reviews and new developments will be highlighted.

Cochrane is an international non-profit organization that produces and disseminates trusted systematic reviews, and advocate for its use (www.cochrane.org). The focus of Cochrane is on systematic reviews of intervention research in health care and health policy. The Cochrane methodology is considered the gold standard in systematic review development. Cochrane Belgium provides guidance and support to researchers interested in performing a systematic review. 

Click here to find the detailed course program.

The course, taught by systematic review experts, is filled with workshops and exercises, thus preparing you to get started immediately on your own systematic review.
For more information, visit the Cochrane Belgium website (https://belgium.cochrane.org/en) or contact the team at cochrane.belgium@gmail.com.

The Cochrane Belgium team cannot assist with questions regarding registration for the course, this is handled by the Doctoral Schools.

Objectives

This 3-day course focuses on systematic reviews of interventions. It will teach you all about the different steps to take to perform a high-quality, methodologically sound and reliable systematic review.
This hands-on course consists of plenary sessions and workshops on:

• the rationale for performing a systematic review
• the key steps of a systematic review
• the formulation a proper review question addressing a therapeutic dilemma
• the writing of a systematic review protocol
• the design of a comprehensive and efficient search strategy to identify relevant RCT’s in electronic bibliographic databases
• the assessment of primary studies (RCT) for their risk of bias
• meta-analysis & the difference between fixed and random effects approach and their assumptions
  the different measures of heterogeneity
• the interpretation of the findings and the assessment the GRADE certainty of evidence

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

• academic research competences:
  • information management
  • research methods
  • publication skills

For whom?

• PhD students within the field of medicine and healthcare, planning or interested in performing a high-quality (Cochrane) systematic review of intervention research.
• max. 5 participants

When and where?

• This 3-day course will take place on May 26, 27 & 28, 2026 (9:00 - 16:30)
• KU Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg (GHB) -
  • 26/05: CDG - Lenus 6
  • 27/05: ON6 - Room 04.0310
  • 28/05: ON6 - Room 04.0310
• Course material will be sent prior to the sessions by email. Bring your fully charged laptop with you. Only a limited amount of extension cords will be provided.

Registration?

• Registration is possible here as from February 10 till May 04, 2026.
• As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS HLS: category 'scientific skills' - one compulsory elective course