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/lp/sage/the-experience-of-conducting-a-cochrane-systematic-review-of-the-CBC0S91nvJ
- Publisher
- SAGE
- Copyright
- © The Royal Society of Medicine Press 2009
- ISSN
- 2040-4034
- eISSN
- 1758-1079
- DOI
- 10.1258/jicp.2009.009009
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
Despite the high prevalence of clinical pathways (CPWs), the results from published studies are inconsistent and contradictory. The plethora of study designs, settings and lack of an agreed definition of a CPW make the relevance of individual studies difficult to apply to clinical settings. It was timely to catalogue and analyse the existing evidence base for CPWs via a rigorous systematic review. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses provide a high level of evidence for the effectiveness of interventions and are commonly employed reviewing strategies for addressing scientific questions in health-related research. This method is especially useful when research results are known to be inconsistent. Instead of conducting another primary evaluation, a detailed review is needed that reflects a summation of available research. This paper reports and discusses methodological and technical issues of a systematic review of the effectiveness of CPWs in hospitals, based on our experience with the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group.
Journal
International Journal of Care Pathways – SAGE
Published: Nov 1, 2009