Chapter 18
1. Systematic reviews are the cornerstone of which of the following?
A) Evidence-based practice
B) Evidence hierarchies
C) Meta-analyses
D) Primary studies
2. The unit of analysis in a meta-analysis is which of the following?
A) Individual study participants
B) A primary qualitative study
C) A primary quantitative study
m
D) Prior systematic reviews
co
3. The “fruit” problem in meta-analysis refers to which of the following?
.
A) Including studies in the analysis from multiple disciplines
ep
B) Including both unpublished and published reports in the analysis
C) Including both qualitative and quantitative findings in the analysis
pr
D) Including studies that have addressed different research questions
st
4. Which of the following activities are normally undertaken as part of doing a
te
meta-analysis? Select all that apply.
ng
A) Obtaining the original data set from primary study researchers
B) Selecting a sample of studies
C) Systematically extracting and recording data
si
D) Evaluating the quality of studies
ur
yn
5. Searching for studies in the grey literature represents a reviewer's effort to do which of
the following? Select all that apply.
.m
A) Counteract the effect of biases against the null hypothesis
B) Increase sample size and therefore have a more comprehensive evidence base
w
C) Minimize the risk of publication bias
D) Include only published, peer-reviewed studies
w
w
6. A viable approach to addressing the quality of primary studies included in a
meta-analysis is which of the following?
A) Ignoring the problem of quality by using all studies regardless of rigor
B) Doing sensitivity analyses to assess if the effects change when low-quality studies
are included.
C) Using a random effects model rather than a fixed effects model.
D) Using a forest plot to assess the degree to which study quality is related to effect
size.
Page 1
, 7. When heterogeneity of effects is high (statistically significant), the preferred
meta-analytic approach is which of the following?
A) Abandon efforts to undertake a meta-analysis
B) Use a fixed effects analytic model
C) Use a random effects analytic model
D) Use a forest plot to display the extensiveness of heterogeneity to readers of the
report
8. An effect size index that can be used in meta-analyses includes which of the following?
m
Select all that apply.
A) Standardized mean difference or d
co
B) Intensity effect size
C) Pearson's correlation coefficient (r)
.
D) The odds ratio (OR)
ep
pr
9. A forest plot portrays information about which of the following for each study in the
meta-analysis?
A) 95% CIs around an effect size
B) Number of study participants
st
te
C) Quality assessment scores
ng
D) Sample size and standard errors
si
10. Which of the following best defines metasyntheses?
ur
A) Involve interpretation as well as integration
B) Involve meta-summaries
yn
C) Exclude studies judged to be low on trustworthiness
D) Rely primarily on phenomenological primary studies
.m
w
11. A widely-used approach to metasynthesis was developed by whom?
A) Polit and Beck
w
B) Noblit and Hare
w
C) Glaser and Strauss
D) Sackett and Cochrane
Page 2
1. Systematic reviews are the cornerstone of which of the following?
A) Evidence-based practice
B) Evidence hierarchies
C) Meta-analyses
D) Primary studies
2. The unit of analysis in a meta-analysis is which of the following?
A) Individual study participants
B) A primary qualitative study
C) A primary quantitative study
m
D) Prior systematic reviews
co
3. The “fruit” problem in meta-analysis refers to which of the following?
.
A) Including studies in the analysis from multiple disciplines
ep
B) Including both unpublished and published reports in the analysis
C) Including both qualitative and quantitative findings in the analysis
pr
D) Including studies that have addressed different research questions
st
4. Which of the following activities are normally undertaken as part of doing a
te
meta-analysis? Select all that apply.
ng
A) Obtaining the original data set from primary study researchers
B) Selecting a sample of studies
C) Systematically extracting and recording data
si
D) Evaluating the quality of studies
ur
yn
5. Searching for studies in the grey literature represents a reviewer's effort to do which of
the following? Select all that apply.
.m
A) Counteract the effect of biases against the null hypothesis
B) Increase sample size and therefore have a more comprehensive evidence base
w
C) Minimize the risk of publication bias
D) Include only published, peer-reviewed studies
w
w
6. A viable approach to addressing the quality of primary studies included in a
meta-analysis is which of the following?
A) Ignoring the problem of quality by using all studies regardless of rigor
B) Doing sensitivity analyses to assess if the effects change when low-quality studies
are included.
C) Using a random effects model rather than a fixed effects model.
D) Using a forest plot to assess the degree to which study quality is related to effect
size.
Page 1
, 7. When heterogeneity of effects is high (statistically significant), the preferred
meta-analytic approach is which of the following?
A) Abandon efforts to undertake a meta-analysis
B) Use a fixed effects analytic model
C) Use a random effects analytic model
D) Use a forest plot to display the extensiveness of heterogeneity to readers of the
report
8. An effect size index that can be used in meta-analyses includes which of the following?
m
Select all that apply.
A) Standardized mean difference or d
co
B) Intensity effect size
C) Pearson's correlation coefficient (r)
.
D) The odds ratio (OR)
ep
pr
9. A forest plot portrays information about which of the following for each study in the
meta-analysis?
A) 95% CIs around an effect size
B) Number of study participants
st
te
C) Quality assessment scores
ng
D) Sample size and standard errors
si
10. Which of the following best defines metasyntheses?
ur
A) Involve interpretation as well as integration
B) Involve meta-summaries
yn
C) Exclude studies judged to be low on trustworthiness
D) Rely primarily on phenomenological primary studies
.m
w
11. A widely-used approach to metasynthesis was developed by whom?
A) Polit and Beck
w
B) Noblit and Hare
w
C) Glaser and Strauss
D) Sackett and Cochrane
Page 2
