Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions

by Editor: Julian P. T. Higgins (MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Genetics Knowledge Park, and Co-Convenor of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group); Editor: Sally Green (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and Director of the Australasian Coch

• ISBN13: 9780470712177
• ISBN10: 0470712171
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2008-12-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library ( www.thecochranelibrary.com ).The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention reviews. Written in a clear and accessible format, it is the essential manual for all those preparing, maintaining and reading Cochrane reviews. Many of the principles and methods described here are appropriate for systematic reviews applied to other types of research and to systematic reviews of interventions undertaken by others. It is hoped therefore that this book will be invaluable to all those who want to understand the role of systematic reviews, critically appraise published reviews or perform reviews themselves.

Table of Contents

ContentsPreface xiiiAcknowledgements xvThe Handbook editors xviiMajor contributors xixPart 1 COCHRANE REVIEWS 11 Introduction 3Sally Green, Julian PT Higgins, Philip Alderson, Mike Clarke, Cynthia D Mulrow and Andrew D Oxman1.1 The Cochrane Collaboration 31.2 Systematic reviews 61.3 About this Handbook 71.4 Contributors to the Handbook 81.5 Chapter information 91.6 References 92 Preparing a Cochrane review 11Edited by Sally Green and Julian PT Higgins2.1 Rationale for protocols 112.2 Format of a Cochrane review 122.3 Logistics of doing a review 132.4 Publication of Cochrane reviews in print journals and books 242.5 Publication of previously published reviews as Cochrane reviews 262.6 Declaration of interest and commercial sponsorship 262.7 Chapter information 292.8 References 293 Maintaining reviews: updates, amendments and feedback 31Julian PT Higgins, Sally Green and Rob JPM Scholten3.1 Introduction 313.2 Some important definitions 323.3 Important dates associated with Cochrane reviews 393.4 Considerations when updating a Cochrane review 423.5 'What's new' and History tables 463.6 Incorporating and addressing feedback in a Cochrane review 483.7 Chapter information 483.8 References 494 Guide to the contents of a Cochrane protocol and review 51Edited by Julian PT Higgins and Sally Green4.1 Introduction 524.2 Title and review information (or protocol information) 524.3 Abstract 554.4 Plain language summary 554.5 Main text 554.6 Tables 704.7 Studies and references 724.8 Data and analyses 744.9 Figures 764.10 Sources of support to the review 774.11 Feedback 774.12 Appendices 784.13 Chapter information 784.14 References 78Part 2 GENERAL METHODS FOR COCHRANE REVIEWS 815 Defining the review question and developing criteria for including studies 83Edited by Denise O'Connor, Sally Green and Julian PT Higgins5.1 Questions and eligibility criteria 845.2 Defining types of participants: which people and populations? 855.3 Defining types of interventions: which comparisons to make? 865.4 Defining types of outcomes: which outcome measures are most important? 875.5 Defining types of study 905.6 Defining the scope of a review question (broad versus narrow) 915.7 Changing review questions 935.8 Chapter information 935.9 References 946 Searching for studies 95Carol Lefebvre, Eric Manheimer and Julie Glanville on behalf of the Cochrane Information Retrieval Methods Group6.1 Introduction 966.2 Sources to search 986.3 Planning the search process 1186.4 De