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Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real CRA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. In a forest plot, when the confidence interval of an included study crosses the line of no effect, it indicates:

    Answer: The study result is not statistically significant at the chosen alpha level

    A confidence interval crossing the null value (1.0 for ratios, 0 for differences) means the result is not statistically significant, as it includes no effect.

  2. Which database is considered essential for systematic reviews in the social sciences but less commonly required in clinical medical reviews?

    Answer: PsycINFO

    PsycINFO, produced by the American Psychological Association, indexes psychology and social science literature essential for behavioral and social science systematic reviews.

  3. A network meta-analysis (NMA) is especially useful when researchers want to:

    Answer: Compare multiple interventions simultaneously, including those never directly compared in trials

    NMA uses both direct and indirect evidence to simultaneously rank multiple treatments, even when some pairs have never been compared in head-to-head trials.

  4. When a systematic review protocol is registered in PROSPERO, the primary purpose is to:

    Answer: Prevent outcome switching and increase transparency of methods

    Prospective registration in PROSPERO documents the review's objectives and methods before screening begins, reducing the risk of selective outcome reporting.

  5. In a meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis is conducted to:

    Answer: Test the robustness of pooled results by altering methodological decisions

    Sensitivity analyses examine whether results change meaningfully when decisions such as inclusion criteria, risk of bias thresholds, or analytical models are varied.

  6. The QUADAS-2 tool is specifically designed for assessing risk of bias in studies included in systematic reviews of:

    Answer: Diagnostic test accuracy studies

    QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) evaluates risk of bias and applicability concerns in primary diagnostic accuracy studies.

  7. Which situation best justifies performing a meta-analysis rather than a narrative synthesis in a systematic review?

    Answer: Studies are sufficiently clinically and methodologically homogeneous to allow meaningful pooling

    Meta-analysis is appropriate when included studies are sufficiently similar in population, intervention, comparator, and outcome to justify combining their results statistically.