- 20 Apr 2020, 08:55
#4036
Selecting and appraising studies does include an elaborate methodology but more importantly, it also involves the reviewer’s judgments. Some of these judgments are easy to make but others are more difficult and prone to errors.
And the only way to increase the confidence in the judgments is to make the process reliable (the results do not change if the procedure is repeated), impartial (not influenced by the study results), and explicit (unambiguous).
The process may be any until it is efficient enough, but generally, the following steps may be followed.
As far as narrative review is concerned, the literature searches are generally selective and not explicit and planned priorly. This is what makes systematic review superior to narrative reviews in the EBM hierarchy.
BhavathariniArun wrote: ↑18 Apr 2020, 16:10 How to effectively create explicit inclusion and exclusion criterias to include studies under a systematic review? Are such rigorous criteria necessary for including studies under a narrative review ?This question is very vital before even thinking to conduct a systematic review because of the ‘garbage in and garbage out’ phenomenon that the systematic review usually suffers.
Selecting and appraising studies does include an elaborate methodology but more importantly, it also involves the reviewer’s judgments. Some of these judgments are easy to make but others are more difficult and prone to errors.
And the only way to increase the confidence in the judgments is to make the process reliable (the results do not change if the procedure is repeated), impartial (not influenced by the study results), and explicit (unambiguous).
The process may be any until it is efficient enough, but generally, the following steps may be followed.
- 1. Begin with a well built clinical question
- 2. Chose selection criteria that fits the clinical question
- 3. Specify the types of study design to be included
- 4. Specify criteria related to type and form of publication
- 5. Construct selection forms-customized forms-checklist of the selection criteria
- 6. Write a detailed protocol.
As far as narrative review is concerned, the literature searches are generally selective and not explicit and planned priorly. This is what makes systematic review superior to narrative reviews in the EBM hierarchy.