Outline the typical steps in conducting a systematic review.

Outline the typical steps in conducting a systematic review.

• A. Define question; develop protocol; perform comprehensive literature search; screen studies; extract data; assess risk of bias; synthesize findings; assess overall certainty; report results.
• B. Define question; conduct pilot testing; perform literature search; screen studies; extract data; synthesize findings; publish results.
• C. Identify topics; implement trial; collect data; publish results.
• D. Plan search; collect data; recruit participants; analyze results.

Answer: (A)

A systematic review is built on a transparent, predefined process to answer a question with minimized bias. It begins with a clearly defined question and a protocol that lays out inclusion criteria, outcomes, and methods before any data are examined. A comprehensive literature search is then conducted across multiple databases and other sources to identify all relevant studies, not just those that are easy to find or favorable. Studies are screened against the predefined criteria to determine which should be included. Data from the included studies are extracted in a consistent, standardized way. The included studies are assessed for risk of bias to understand how study design and conduct might influence the findings. Findings are synthesized by combining results across studies, and sometimes a meta-analysis is performed to provide a pooled estimate. An overall certainty or confidence in the evidence is then assessed, considering limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and publication bias. Finally, the results and methods are reported transparently so others can reproduce the review and trust its conclusions. The other options skip essential steps (such as risk-of-bias assessment or certainty appraisal) or describe activities that aren’t part of conducting a systematic review, like piloting, implementing new trials, or recruiting participants.

A systematic review is built on a transparent, predefined process to answer a question with minimized bias. It begins with a clearly defined question and a protocol that lays out inclusion criteria, outcomes, and methods before any data are examined. A comprehensive literature search is then conducted across multiple databases and other sources to identify all relevant studies, not just those that are easy to find or favorable. Studies are screened against the predefined criteria to determine which should be included. Data from the included studies are extracted in a consistent, standardized way. The included studies are assessed for risk of bias to understand how study design and conduct might influence the findings. Findings are synthesized by combining results across studies, and sometimes a meta-analysis is performed to provide a pooled estimate. An overall certainty or confidence in the evidence is then assessed, considering limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and publication bias. Finally, the results and methods are reported transparently so others can reproduce the review and trust its conclusions. The other options skip essential steps (such as risk-of-bias assessment or certainty appraisal) or describe activities that aren’t part of conducting a systematic review, like piloting, implementing new trials, or recruiting participants.