Unfolding the Umbrella

AN UMBRELLA REVIEW IS A COMPREHENSIVE

SYNTHESIS OF EXISTING SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
AND META ANALYSIS ON A SPECIFIC TOPIC,
OFFERING A CONSOLIDATED OVERVIEW OF THE
COLLECTIVE EVIDENCE AND INSIGHTS FROM
MULTIPLE STUDIES.

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 Deciding on an Umbrella Review
Are multiple SRMAs available?

yes no

Are multiple SRMAs outdated? Perform a new SRMA

no
yes
Update existing SRMAs Perform an umbrella review

Source: Belbasis L, Bellou V, Ioannidis JPA Conducting umbrella reviews BMJ Medicine 2022;1:e000071

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 Key steps
Define the research question: Ensure that the research

1 question is broad but well-defined and relevant to the field of

study.

2 Develop the search strategy: Derive the search algorithm

using appropriate keywords and search terms.

Conduct the literature search and select studies: Perform

3 a systematic literature search and select the systematic

reviews and meta-analyses that meet the defined inclusion
and exclusion criteria.

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 Key steps

4
Extract data and estimate a common effect size: Extract the
relevant data from the selected studies and calculate a common
measure of effect across the included studies.

Perform statistical analysis and assess heterogeneity:

5 Analyze the data from the selected studies and report the
variability in the selected studies.

Grade the strength of evidence: Assess the quality

6 of the evidence provided by the selected studies.

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 Key steps

Conduct sensitivity analyses: Conduct additional analyses to

7 test the robustness of the findings and adjust the ranking of the
strength of evidence based on these results.

8 Interpret and discuss the findings: Interpret the results of

the umbrella review in the context of the broader research field,
discuss any potential biases in the selected studies, and any
other issues related to the topic of the umbrella review.

Course coming soon

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