Abstract
ObjectivesThe Medical Library Association (MLA) Systematic Review Project aims to conduct systematic reviews to identify the state of knowledge and research gaps for fifteen top-ranked questions in the profession. In 2013, fifteen volunteer-driven teams were recruited to conduct the systematic reviews. The authors investigated the experiences of participants in this large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to answering priority research questions and fostering professional growth among health sciences librarians.MethodsA program evaluation was conducted by inviting MLA Systematic Review Project team members to complete an eleven-item online survey. Multiple-choice and short-answer questions elicited experiences about outputs, successes and challenges, lessons learned, and future directions. Participants were recruited by email, and responses were collected over a two-week period beginning at the end of January 2016.ResultsEighty (8 team leaders, 72 team members) of 198 potential respondents completed the survey. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that the MLA Systematic Review Project should be repeated in the future and were interested in participating in another systematic review. Team outputs included journal articles, conference presentations or posters, and sharing via social media. Thematic analysis of the short-answer questions yielded five broad themes: learning and experience, interpersonal (networking), teamwork, outcomes, and barriers.DiscussionA large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to performing systematic reviews shows promise as a model for answering key questions in the profession and demonstrates the value of experiential learning for acquiring synthesis review skills and knowledge. Our project evaluation provides recommendations to optimize this approach.
Highlights
Health sciences librarians have played integral roles in developing and supporting systematic reviews over the past 30 years
This paper describes an evaluation of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Systematic Review Project to better understand the benefits and challenges of a largescale distributed model for addressing a profession’s research priorities, while growing its research capability
A majority of respondents (84%) indicated that the MLA Research Agenda Committee (RAC) should consider repeating this initiative in the future, either to both answer research questions that are relevant to the profession and facilitate librarian learning of systematic review methods (66%), answer questions relevant to the profession only (10%), or facilitate librarian learning about systematic review methods only (8%)
Summary
Health sciences librarians have played integral roles in developing and supporting systematic reviews over the past 30 years. Health sciences librarians often are considered to be essential members of teams that implement systematic reviews [1]. Four percent to 80% (depending on Journal of the Medical Library Association the role) of North American health sciences librarians serve roles such as project manager or leader, research question developer, critical appraiser, data extractor, report writer, and disseminator [4]. Conducting systematic reviews means, for many health sciences librarians, adding a new set of skills to their repertoire. The possibility of developing new skills in a supportive environment by working on research that addresses professional priorities [5] is appealingly efficient
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