Undertaking a systematic review: the road to successful completion

Yorke, J; Fleming, SL

Abstract

The systematic review is an important research method that allows for
the critical analysis of the results from a range of existing studies to answer research
questions. The findings can be used to inform clinical decisions, as well as the
development of protocols and guidelines. The aim of this paper is to explore the steps
involved in undertaking a Cochrane systematic review and to encourage more nurses
to participate in this world wide collaboration to answer questions that are relevant to
nursing practice. The first stage of a review involves initiating a focussed clinical
question in which the patient group or problem is identified as are the intervention,
comparison and outcome, which will become the focus of study. Each review is
guided by a protocol that is subject to peer review and followed by a structured
search of the worldwide literature on the subject. Quality assessment and data
extraction are done systematically and subject to cross-checking. The results are
analysed using statistical methods, including meta-analysis. Publication is electronic
in the Cochrane Library and many will also be published in other journals. As with
all research, findings should be presented in a way that enables the reader to assess
whether the review can be applied to their patient.

Citation

Yorke, J., & Fleming, S. (2008). Undertaking a systematic review: the road to successful completion. Journal of Research in Nursing, 13(4), 282-298. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987108093527

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Oct 26, 2009
• Journal: Journal of Research in Nursing
• Print ISSN: 1744-9871
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 282-298
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987108093527
• Keywords: systematic review, Cochrane reviews, randomised controlled trial,quantitative data, statistical methods, meta-analysis
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1744987108093527