Systematic reviews: History & overview

This session provides the context for the other sessions in the workshop by explaining the history and production methods of systematic reviews and their role in evidence-based practice. Evidence-based public health practice requires the ability to identify, access, and assess high quality research, such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses. They provide evidence to support public health policy making, program planning, and clinical decision making. By the end of this session, participants will be able to discuss the differences between narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses based on knowledge of the methods used to produce them, and choose the most appropriate one for their information needs. They will be able to explain the history of public health systematic reviews as a further development of the evidence-based medicine movement and will be able to list major sources of systematic reviews for public health practitioners and researchers. Participants will be able to find the main systematic review methods manuals on the Internet and use them after class to deepen their knowledge of systematic review methods. They will also be able to describe the steps in systematic review production that are presented within the manuals. Whether participants want to create new or read existing systematic reviews they will benefit from the ability to describe the steps in systematic review production.