Introduction to Systematic Reviews   Tags: ebm, ebp, evidence based medicine, evidence based practice, gray literature, grey literature, project management, research, systematic reviews  

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A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question.  It  uses explicit, systematic methods that are selected with a view to minimizing bias, thus providing more reliable findings from which conclusions can be drawn and decisions made.

The key characteristics of a systematic review are:

•       a clearly stated set of objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
•       an explicit, reproducible methodology
•       a systematic search that attempts to identify all studies that would meet the eligibility criteria
•       an assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies
•       a systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies

Meta-analysis is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. Many systematic reviews contain meta-analyses. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analyses can provide more precise estimates of the effects of health care than those derived from the individual studies included within a review. They also facilitate investigations of the consistency of evidence across studies, and the exploration of differences across studies.

References
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Version 5.1.0. Updated March 2011. Section 1.2.2. 

Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gøtzsche PC, et al. (2009) The PRISMA Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Studies That Evaluate Health Care Interventions: Explanation and Elaboration. PLoS Med 6(7): e1000100. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000100

For collaborator assistance with your systematic review, please contact Lisa Berry. 

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