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Exploring the need to update systematic reviews.

Alan Thomas, David Tovey and Jason Rouch
Clinical Evidence, BMJ, UK.
Jason Roach.
King's College London, UK.

athomas doesnotexist@cochrane.org bmjgroup.com

Objective: To explore the issues around updating systematic reviews building on the Clinical Evidence experience.

Summary: Systematic reviews are widely acknowledged as an invaluable tool for assessing the evidence on the effects of healthcare interventions. The usefulness of such reviews may depend on them being kept up to date. Regular updating will ensure that the conclusions of reviews do not become inaccurate, incomplete or redundant, because this updating will allow the incorporation of evidence from new studies to enhance the findings on benefits and harms.

In this workshop participants will hear a short presentation outlining some of the issues around updating systematic reviews. The facilitators will describe recent research on how regular updating of the evidence in the publication Clinical Evidence has changed the categorisations relating to whether or not an intervention is beneficial. Participants will then participate in structured group discussions on various aspects of the problem. This will include: ways to identify which types of reviews benefit most from updating; the ways in which new evidence can change conclusions; if there are predictors of what is likely to change; and guidance on interpreting the results of reviews in the light of new evidence. We will provide preparatory reading material for participants in the workshop.

Systematic reviews should be updated regularly. Those involved in writing reviews should be aware of the need for updating in order to draw valid conclusions about the effects of interventions. Where regular updating of all reviews is not possible, clear prioritisation and timetabling could ensure that reviews most sensitive to change are updated regularly.


Level of knowledge required to attend: basic.