A cross-sectional study on inequity and unmet needs in conducting systematic reviews (SRMA) and meta-analysis among medical students and junior doctors

Abstract

Background: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses allow a transparent, rigorous, and replicable analysis to summarize the results of multiple related studies and are considered top of the evidence-based medicine study hierarchy. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the unmet educational needs of students worldwide, notably those from underprivileged backgrounds. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the knowledge of medical students and junior doctors in conducting systematic reviews and meta-analysis internationally at various levels of practice. Methods: A free online webinar was held by the senior author and a pre-event questionnaire was distributed. Responses collected were used for analysis anonymously to ascertain students’ knowledge, experience, and confidence in preparing a systematic review and meta-analysis using 1-5 Likert scale using IBM SPSS 26.0. Associations were examined using Chi-square and crosstabs analysis. Results: Out of 2,004 responses from 104 countries included in the analysis, the majority of delegates were from lower middle-income countries (59.2%) and were not familiar with the PRISMA checklist (81.1%). The majority had never attended any formal training (83%) and felt their medical institute gave them minimal advice (72.5%) in preparing systematic reviews. Among those who had attended formal training, the proportion was significantly higher in those belonging to high and upper middle-income countries combined (20.3%) than lower and lower-middle income countries combined (15%). Conclusions: This study highlights the inequities and unmet needs of medical students and junior doctors in performing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Clear disparities are found in country income and the level of education. Future large-scale studies are needed to understand the rationale of working on online research projects and the opportunities available to medical students and junior doctors that may lead to medical curriculum changes.