5,081,904 papers found

Systematic reviews are the apex of the evidence-based pyramid, representing the strongest form of evidence synthesizing results from multiple primary studies. In particular, a quantitative systematic review, or meta-analysis, pools results from multiple studies to help answer a respective research question. The aim of…

OBJECTIVES: There are many rapid review methods; however, there is little pragmatic guidance on which methods to select. This study aimed to reach consensus among international rapid review experts outlining areas to consider when selecting approaches for rapid reviews. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A two-round modified o…

The aim of this article is to perform an inventory on the subject of rapid reviews.Carrying out a systematic review or health technology assessment (HTA) is costly and time-consuming. Usually, it takes between six months and one year to complete a systematic review, and at least one year to complete an HTA. Since quest…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are at the top of the 'evidence hierarchy' when assessing the effectiveness of health interventions. As such, they are important sources of synthesized information for decision-makers including consumers, clinicians, funders, payers, regulators, and researchers. The main reasons for…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are powerful tools for summarizing existing literature and combining evidence from multiple studies. These methods employ complex searches, statistical techniques, and presentation techniques with which the clinical audience may not be very familiar. This review article aims to fami…

BACKGROUND: Perinatal depression is a significant public health concern that affects women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Despite being acknowledged globally, the burden of perinatal depression is particularly profound in low and middle-income countries, such as Ethiopia. This umbrella review is therefore…

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The term 'evidence-based medicine' means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. An important source for those who wish to practise evidence-based medicine is the systematic review. Systematic reviews, however, are not wit…

BACKGROUND: Oral care is a fundamental part of nursing but it is often performed as a routine task, often based on historic practice, and lacks an evidence base. A variety of oral care products are used in practice. AIM: To discover evidence of effective oral care products for use in hospitalised patients. DESIGN: A…

Placebo responses to an apparently inactive intervention are of interest from a scientific perspective as they suggest possible mechanism(s) at work beyond the intervention itself. They are also of interest from a clinical trials perspective since high rates of placebo response limit the potential to demonstrate worthw…

Even though exposure to chlorine gas has been quite frequent in the past few decades, no specific antidotes exist. This umbrella review aimed to investigate possible recommendations for treatment after a chlorine gas exposure. A published systematic review protocol that adapted the existing Navigation Guide methodology…

Systematic reviews provide a synthesis of evidence for a specific topic of interest, summarising the results of multiple studies to aid in clinical decisions and resource allocation. They remain among the best forms of evidence, and reduce the bias inherent in other methods. A solid understanding of the systematic revi…

BACKGROUND: The production of Plasmodium gametocytes in vitro is a real challenge. Many protocols have been described, but few have resulted in the production of viable and infectious gametocytes in sufficient quantities to conduct research on-but not limited to-transmission-blocking drug and vaccine development. The a…

BACKGROUND: key decisions have to be made in healthcare systems and policies often under uncertain conditions or without complete objective evidence. Decisions made on the health system and policy levels affect national and global population, which requires transparency and accountability to ensure the best impact to p…

Variability in the results of randomized trials presents challenges to the interpretation and application of the evidence to patient care. Understanding how systematic reviews deal with this problem of "heterogeneity" will help clinicians in applying results in their patient management. This manuscript offers a review…

The current systematic meta-review aimed to map out, characterize, analyze, and synthesize the overarching findings of systematic reviews on domestic violence (DV) in the context of COVID-19. Specifically, a systematic meta-review was conducted with three main objectives: (1) to identify what types and aspects of DV du…

Some of the most important decisions that a researcher will make when conducting a meta-analysis are decisions about the search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Decisions regarding inclusion/exclusion criteria serve to define the scope of a meta-analysis and search strategy decisions can have a large impact…

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a significant contributor to newborns morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of highly effective and powerful interventions, the burden of preterm birth has not decreased. Given the relevance of the topic to clinical decision-making, strong conclusive and supporting evidence…

INTRODUCTION: This paper is a systematic review of the relevant literature surrounding the implementation and utilisation of eHealth to identify key challenges and opportunities to future eHealth applications. METHODS: NHS Evidence, PubMed, IEEE Explorer, Cochrane Library and JMIR Publications were all searched for re…