Systematic reviews to support evidence-based medicine, 2nd edition

Summary:
Authoritative, clear, concise and practical, this highly acclaimed book continues to be an essential text for all medical, surgical and health professionals who want to have an easily accessible, quick reference to systematically reviewing the literature.

• Successful previous edition
• Numerous case studies and practical examples
• Easily accessible text which has been highly praised in a whole wealth of reviews
• Set at the level between the basic introduction and definitive text, this book provides a valuable touchstone for all starting to critically appraise the published literature

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Steps of a systematic review
Step 1: Framing questions for a review
Step 2: Identifying relevant literature
Step 3: Assessing the quality of the literature
Step 4: Summarizing the evidence
Step 5: Interpreting the findings
Case studies
Case study 1: Identifying and appraising systematic reviews
Case study 2: Reviewing evidence on safety of a public health intervention
Case study 3: Reviewing evidence on effectiveness of therapy
Case study 4: Reviewing evidence on accuracy of a test
Case study 5: Reviewing qualitative evidence to evaluate patient experience
Case study 6: Reviewing evidence on the effects of educational intervention
Case study 7: Gauging strength of evidence to guide decision making
Case study 8: To use or not to use a therapy? Incorporating evidence on adverse effects

About the Author(s):
Khalid S Khan is Professor of Women's Health and Clinical Epidemiology at Barts and the London Medical School in Queen Mary, University of London. He is a clinician, trained in systematic reviews and evidence-based medicine (EBM). Qualified in medical education, he runs journal club and other EBM activities, including evidence-supported ward rounds and workshops on critical appraisal. As a clinical academic he leads a number of systematic review projects, teaches undergraduates and postgraduates, and provides peer review to several clinical journals.

Regina Kunz has recently been appointed Director of the Institute for Insurance Medicine at the University and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist by training, she has comprehensive expertise in doing systematic reviews, meta-analyses and health technology assessments. Then, her clinical practice reminded her day by day how important it is to have high quality syntheses at hand when advising patients and making management decisions. Today, the lack of high quality evidence synthesis in insurance medicine is a painful experience that urgently needs change. Her academic activities within the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group on guideline methodology and as a long-standing board member of the Guidelines International Network G-I-N corroborate the need for high quality reviews and meta-analyses in all areas of healthcare, to provide physicians, patients and decision makers with sound recommendations, and the difficulties of delivering convincing recommendations in the absence of such reviews. She is the founding member of the German Network EbM, editor of the German textbook Evidence-based Medicine in Clinic and Practice, and has a great deal of experience in running teaching courses on systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the GRADE-methodology and evidence-based medicine worldwide.

Jos Kleijnen is the D

Readership:
All doctors, nurses and health professionals reviewing the literature