Rapid reviews have emerged as a practical and timely approach in healthcare research, where time is critical and decisions have life-altering consequences. Compared to traditional systematic reviews, these are streamlined, more adaptable, and especially useful in crises like pandemics or urgent policy changes. But here’s the twist: while quicker, they can sometimes compromise rigor. So, […]
Understanding Literature Reviews in Healthcare: Scoping Reviews
Scoping reviews are similar to systematic reviews but differ significantly in their purpose and method, making it important to examine these distinctions. They systematically analyze existing literature without the limits of quality assessment, revealing overarching patterns, research gaps, and valuable insights in various research landscapes. This article is the fourth installment in the ongoing series, […]
Understanding Literature Reviews in Healthcare: Meta-Analysis
A systematic review often comes hand in hand with a meta-analysis, but it’s important to note that not every systematic review includes one. While systematic reviews summarize the existing evidence, meta-analyses go further by statistically assessing that evidence, giving us deeper insights. This article on meta-analysis is the third installment in the Understanding Literature Reviews […]
Understanding Literature Reviews in Healthcare: Systematic Reviews
All types of literature reviews in this series are systematic reviews in that they are all done systematically, but only one kind of review is given the label systematic review. This is the second article in the Understanding Literature Reviews in Healthcare series. The first article discussed narrative reviews. Systematic Reviews A systematic review is […]
Understanding Literature Reviews in Healthcare: Narrative Reviews
The phrase “systematic review” is commonly used in health sciences to refer to any review that follows well-structured procedures. However, this has created a misunderstanding that a systematic review is the sole valid literature review for healthcare decisions. This view misses out on the diverse range of other review types that can be useful. As […]