Payesh (Aug 2024)
Methodology of systematic review in the health system
Abstract
Objective(s): Systematic reviews are a valuable resource for policy makers, managers and health workers for evidence-based policy making, planning and delivery of health services. However, some systematic reviews are poorly conducted and reported. This study aimed to explain the methodology of systematic review in the health system. Methods: This study was conducted using a scoping review method. Published articles on systematic review methodology in the health system until April 19, 2024 were searched in 3 databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science and Google Scholar search engine. Overall, 109 articles were selected after screening and analysed using narrative analysis method. Results: A systematic review is "an explicit and systematic secondary study to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize primary research evidence to answer a specific research question." Systematic reviews help policymakers, managers, health workers, patients, and the public to apply the best current evidence to practice at a lower cost. Moreover, systematic review is used to develop a new theory or evaluate an existing theory. A simple and comprehensive protocol for conducting a systematic review was proposed. It includes seven steps of formulating research question, searching the literature, screening and selecting studies, appraising the quality of studies, extracting data from included studies, analysing and synthesizing data, and interpreting findings and presenting a conclusion. In addition, the structure of writing a systematic review article was explained and a checklist for evaluating systematic review articles was presented. Conclusion: Methodological limitations of systematic reviews affect the conclusions of these studies. In this study, a suitable model for conducting a systematic review was presented.
