title: Systematic reviews of surgical interventions.
abstract: All physicians are familiar with the type of general review articles found in many medical journals. Systematic reviews are different. They apply a strict, scientific methodology to the reviewing process to produce a review that is comprehensive, reliable, and as free from bias as possible. As a result, systematic reviews occupy the highest position in the "levels of evidence" tables associated with the practice of evidence-based health care. Systematic reviews relevant to surgery are no less relevant than systematic reviews in other areas of health care. They should be a prerequisite of any new research, a key component in decision making, and an opportunity for all surgical practitioners to get involved in the conduct and interpretation of research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Oxford, The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, England, UK. mburton@cochrane-ent.org
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative