How to Read a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis and Apply the Results to Patient Care

This study is to help a practitioner to efficiently use a systematic review or a meta analysis to help make good decisions for a patient.

Clinical decisions should be based on the totality of the best evidence and not the results of individual studies. When clinicians apply the results of a systematic review or meta-analysis to patient care, they should start by evaluating the credibility of the methods of the systematic review, ie, the extent to which these methods have likely protected against misleading results.

Credibility depends on whether the review addressed a sensible clinical question; included an exhaustive literature search; demonstrated reproducibility of the selection and assessment of studies; and presented results in a useful manner.