title: Challenges in systematic reviews of therapeutic devices and procedures.
abstract: The authors discuss 3 challenges in conducting and interpreting any systematic review that are particularly relevant for systematic reviews of therapeutic devices or surgical procedures: 1) inclusion or exclusion of grey literature, 2) the role of nonrandomized studies, and 3) issues in applying the results to clinical care that are unique to the surgical and therapeutic device literature. The authors also discuss empirical evidence related to these topics and illustrate how reviewers in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Evidence-based Practice Center program have dealt with these challenges in developing evidence reports for decision makers and clinicians about therapeutic devices or surgical procedures.
authors.affiliation: Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hartling
authors.forename: Finlay A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: McAlister
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ezekowitz
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Friesen
authors.forename: Terry P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Klassen
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000592:standards*; D013812:Therapeutics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*