Assessing the risk of bias in non-randomised studies evaluating the effects of interventions | In-person workshop

The Monash University Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit invites you to Assessing the risk of bias in non-randomised studies evaluating the effects of interventions | In-person workshop

Date and time: Friday 7 February 2025 from 9am to 4.30pm

Location: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Conference Rooms, Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 553 St Kilda Road Melbourne, VIC 3004

Registration: Register here

Standard in-person: $490

Student in-person: $350

Non-randomized studies of interventions (NRSI) can provide evidence additional to that available from randomized trials about long term outcomes, rare events, adverse events and populations that are typical of real-world practice. However, limitations in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of an NRSI may lead to underestimation or overestimation of the true effects of an intervention, which is known as bias. Therefore, a critical aspect when interpreting results from an NRSI is assessing whether features of the study may have placed the results at risk of bias, thus making them less trustworthy. The ROBINS-I (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies – of Interventions) tool provides a structured process for researchers to make risk-of-bias judgements. The tool is the gold standard approach for assessing the risk of bias in NRSI, is widely used (the 2016 version has been cited >13,000 times), and has been endorsed by Cochrane for use in their systematic reviews. A new version of ROBINS-I that incorporates several improvements and innovations will be launched in early 2025, together with an online implementation that will facilitate its use.

Who is this workshop for and what does it cover?

This in-person workshop on how to assess the risk of bias in NRSI is designed for those undertaking systematic reviews, synthesizing evidence for guidelines, or generally interested in learning how to appraise studies.

The presenters will describe key features of version 2 of the ROBINS-I tool for cohort studies in which intervention groups are allocated during the course of usual treatment decisions. We will highlight the updates and improvements to the original (2016) version of the tool and show how it has been implemented in online software for use by review authors. The workshop involves a mix of presentations, interactive discussions and hands-on exercises. Electronic copies of the slides will be provided on the day of the workshop. 

Any questions? Please email Matthew Page at matthew.page@monash.edu