Developing a protocol for a systematic review

David Mulcahy, Kerry Gray and Kristin Liabo

• Decide on a research question• Look for studies that have already tried to answer

the question• Read the relevant studies that we find• Decide on whether the studies are of good quality• Write a report which sums up what the studies

conclude

What is a systematic review?

• Something relevant to looked after children’s health

• Two meetings to decide on the topic • In discussions the following topics were

identified as important:

Our systematic review:

What is the most important issue for looked after children’s health?

Mental health Bullying

Teenage pregnancies

Offending

Education Alcohol and drugs

Interventions to help looked after children stay

in school

Education:

What links education and health???????

Education helps with your mental

and physical development

Research has shown that you live a longer life if

you’ve got a good education

Education is important to health because it is likely to give you a better job, and

therefore more money

Education comes first. It prevents crime, drug use, alcohol use and therefore

improves your health.

The case against education:

There is no direct relationship between education and health

Education is useful but not essential

I disagree with the choice of topic but I still want to be part of the review, and to make a

contribution

• 44% of children looked after gained one GCSE or GNVQ (compared with 99.2%)

• 7% of children looked after gained at least 5 GCSEs at grade A* to C (compared with 69.7%)

• 63% of care leavers were in education, employment or training on their 19th birthday.

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families. Statistical first release: Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March

2009. Released 13th of October 2009.

Background statistics:

• So, we had a research question, then what?

• We needed a protocol

• What’s a protocol?

• A guideline for how we will carry out the systematic review

Hard discussions and decisions:

–Which interventions?–What kinds of studies?–What kinds of outcomes?

Key questions for writing the protocol:

Mental health

Exclusion numbers

Number of GCSEs/final year

exams

University/college/further

education/trainingTeachers’ reports

Young people’s views/self report

Employment

Interventions to help looked after children stay in

schoolOn benefits

Attendance

Outcomes:

• Not always clear what we were doing• Compromises• Time consuming• Shifting membership was an issue

• A systematic review is in progress• Learning

Was it easy?