Course participants undertaking an exercise in the module

Institutional capacity building is an important element of the ADAPT project. To this end, CIET is sharing expertise in epidemiological research methods with the University of Namibia (UNAM). 

From 16 to 20 July 2012, Dr Beverley Shea of CIET facilitated a stand-alone special module on Systematic Review for faculty in the School of Nursing and Public Health (SNPH) in UNAM. The SNPH intends to incorporate an optional module on Systematic Review into the revised curriculum for their Masters in Public Health course, from 2014. 

Some ten participants attended the special module which included short lectures, group sessions, problem-based learning sessions and practicals. The contents covered:

Participants at the end of the module 

• Introduction to methods of analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs); difference between RCTs and non-experimental study designs
• Basic elements of systematic review and meta-analysis, including data extraction, dealing with heterogeneity between studies, interpretation of forest plots, assessment of quality of studies and of systematic reviews (GRADE and AMSTAR)      
• Practical experience in navigating the Cochrane website, searching literature, and using the Revman software to conduct meta-analysis

The Dean of the SNPH presented certificates to the participants on the final day of the module.