Workshop type: Discussion.

Objective: To consider the role of qualitative evidence review and the current debates around critical appraisal, aggregation and interpretation.

Summary:
The Cochrane Steering group has agreed to the concept of ‘enhancing’ Cochrane reviews of effectiveness by incorporating a synthesis of qualitative evidence, and this approach has been described in the new Cochrane Handbook. The Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group, however, feels that there is a role for extending reviews by conducting stand-alone qualitative evidence syntheses. A proposal recommending that The Cochrane Collaboration embrace stand-alone (extended) qualitative evidence syntheses is being prepared. This workshop will present two approaches to synthesising qualitative evidence that may be used to enhance or extend a Cochrane review.

The workshop will consist of four short presentations and an open discus sion:
• Introduction (J. Harris)
• Searching for and appraising qualitative studies (C. Lockwood)
• An aggregative approach to qualitative evidence synthesis: QARI (A. Pearson)
• An interpretive approach to qualitative evidence synthesis: Meta-ethnography (A. Pearson)
• Discussion (J. Harris)

Intended audience: Review authors interested in qualitative evidence synthesis.

Technical level expected of participants: Advanced.