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A systematic review attempts to collate all the empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question.
Key Points:
Lasserson TJ, Thomas J, Higgins JPT. Chapter 1: Starting a review. In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.0 (updated July 2019). Cochrane, 2019. Available from http://www.training.cochrane.org/handbook
Also Called: Comprehensive Review, Review of the Evidence
Purpose: A research method that uses explicit and reproducible methods to systematically search, appraise, and synthesis research evidence. (A study of studies)
Research Question: Clearly defined and focused. A good method to define your research question is the PICO or PICOT format.
P = Patient, Population, and/or Problem
I = Intervention
C = Comparison (not always applicable)
O = Outcome
T = Time and/or Type of Study
Team Size: 3 or more.
A systematic review can't be done alone! Your team should include a subject expert to clarify issues related to the topic; a librarian to identify appropriate databases and develop comprehensive search strategies; reviewers (min. of 2) to screen abstracts and read the full-text; a statistician to assist with data analysis; and a project leader to coordinate and write the final report.
Time to Complete: 12-18+ months
Methodology: Systematic and comprehensive search in multiple databases, clear and reproducible descriptive methods. It is recommended to work with a librarian to identify appropriate databases to search and to develop the search strategy.
Standards: Institute of Medicine Standards for Systematic Reviews
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