
Studies (What Study Designs are considered e.g., randomised controlled trials (RCTs) vs.Outcomes (What is the Outcomes or Endpoint).Comparator condition (What is the Comparison group).Intervention, (What is the Intervention or Exposure).Participant, (Who is the Patient or Problem being addressed).It is often recommended that review questions follow the PICOS statement i.e. A review question takes the format: “To assess the effects of for in ”’.įor example: “to assess the effect of on in ”. In general, developing a focussed review question is key.

If a recent and high-quality systematic review and meta-analysis has been performed on the proposed review question, consider a different review question. If the review has been previously done with an inconclusive finding and there have been additional primary studies since the review was published, consider performing an updated review. In addition, check PROSPERO, the primary database for registering systematic review protocols and search for published protocols to ensure that no individual or group is currently working on the planned systematic review. Also, search databases like the Cochrane library and PubMed as these databases are regularly updated. This can be done through a simple google or google scholar search of the review topic/question. However, before starting work on a research question for a systematic review, it is very important to perform a mini-literature search to ensure that the question has not already been the subject of a systematic review. In addition, a focused review question is more likely to identify questions for future research Also, a focused review question will more likely generate a clear message for the clinician/researcher and will more likely highlight the relevance of the work. Well-focussed review questions are more likely to get completed and result in a comprehensive review because they lead to better searches and clearer criteria for selection. The question should be precise and it should help identify studies to be included in the review. It is important to define the review question clearly. The three components to a successful systematic review and meta-analysis writing are: Steps to planning a systematic review and meta-analysis

It can help mitigate the need for further trials.It enables the combination of findings from different studies which can highlight new findings that may be important for practice or policy.


