In pursuit of certainty: can the systematic review process deliver?

Source: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making Area: Evidence > Medicines Management > References Background: There has been increasing emphasis on evidence-based approaches to improve patient outcomes through rigorous, standardised and well-validated approaches.  Clinical guidelines drive this process and are largely developed based on the findings of systematic reviews (SRs).  This paper presents a discussion of the SR process in providing decisive information to shape and guide clinical practice, using a purpose-built review database: the Cochrane reviews; and focussing on a highly prevalent medical condition: hypertension. Methods: We searched the Cochrane database and identified 25 relevant SRs incorporating 443 clinical trials.  Reviews with the terms 'blood pressure' or 'hypertension' in the title were included.  Once selected for inclusion, the abstracts were assessed independently by two authors for their capacity to inform and influence clinical decision-making.  The inclusions were independently audited by a third author. ...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news