NCCMT - URE - Types of Reviews - What kind of review do we need

Video created: May 8, 2013
Do you know when to use different types of reviews in public health decision making? Do you know the differences between a literature review, a systematic review, and a meta-analysis? Using an imaginary campaign to promote healthy eating among adolescents as an example, this video describes how these reviews are created. You will see why combining findings from studies gives you a more accurate and generalizable understanding of what to expect from an intervention.
Systematic reviews combine relevant research studies in a systematic way to answer a specific research question with minimal bias. They tell you whether or not an intervention is effective. Meta-analyses are similar to systematic reviews, but go one step further: they provide a numerical summary of the combined findings. In addition to whether or not an intervention works, meta-analyses can tell you the size of the intervention effect. Literature reviews, on the other hand, summarize multiple studies without using a systematic process for identifying, including, or combining studies. This type of review can lead to biases in the summary.
Different types of reviews can affect how much confidence you can have in the findings. There can be thousands of single studies that each look at small portions of the population. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses can provide information based on all available studies making them powerful aids for evidence-informed decision making in public health.
The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and affiliated with McMaster University. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
NCCMT is one of six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health. The Centres promote and improve the use of scientific research and other knowledge to strengthen public health practices and policies in Canada.

[@MohamedAhmed-cu1ue]

Very informative, big like with thanks 👍👍

[@assa-ef2cy]

Really, great explanation..

[@kiranvadapalli]

very lucid explanation