Policy Makers' Checklist for Using
a Systematic Review
The following are suggested questions that policy makers should ask when
reading a systematic review.
The Question you want Answered
| Has the reviewed covered the
following features? |
| |
The policy intervention
for which evidence is sought |
| |
The population or sub-groups
that the policy is expected to effect |
| |
The outcomes that the
policy intervention is expected to achieve |
| |
The context in which the policy
is expected to work. |
The Adequacy of the Review
| Are there sufficient details
in the review about the search strategy used to find relevant
research evidence?: i.e. |
| |
Were appropriate electronic/internet
sources searched? |
| |
Were appropriate print
sources (e.g. journals, textbooks, research reports) searched? |
| |
Was any hand searching
of appropriate print sources used? |
| |
Was an attempt made to identify the 'grey'
(i.e. unpublished) literature? |
Critical Appraising of Evidence
| Were the following tasks
undertaken in the review? |
| |
Was the research evidence
that was identified sifted and graded
for quality? |
| |
Were the inclusion
and exclusion criteria of primary
studies made explicit? |
| |
Were the appropriate outcome measures
included in the review? |
Quality of Evidence Presented
| |
Is the research evidence presented in the review
easy to understand? |
| |
Is a full evidence
table presented? |
| |
Has the strength of
the existing evidence been assessed? |
| |
Are there any estimates of the likely
effect size of the policy intervention? |
| |
Are there any details about the contexts
in which the policy is likely to be effective? |
| |
Is there any information on the likely costs
and benefits of the proposed policy? |
Applicability of the Evidence
| |
Has the evidence been presented in a way that
is helpful to decision making? |
| |
What are the implications of the review
for policy and practice in this area?
|
| |
Are there any mediating factors
from the review that need to be taken into account? |
| |
What are the implications
of this review for future research and evaluation
in this area?
|
Peer Review
| |
Has this systematic review been peer
reviewed by independent analysts
with expertise and experience in research synthesis? |
| |
If not, do you want to get this systematic review
peer reviewed? |
