title: Public involvement in the systematic review process in health and social care: a narrative review of case examples.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the evidence on public involvement in the systematic review process in health and social care; to examine the different methods, levels and stages of involving the public; to synthesise the contributions of the public, as well as the identified tensions, facilitating strategies and recommendations for good practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic literature search and narrative review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven case examples were found covering the following review topics: patients' perspectives on electro-convulsive therapy; user involvement in nursing, midwifery and health visiting research; treatments for degenerative ataxias; teaching, learning and assessment of law in social work education; HIV health promotion for men who have sex with men; the conceptualisation, measurement, impact and outcomes of public involvement in health research; methods of consumer involvement in developing healthcare policy and research, clinical practice guidelines and patient information material. The public was found to contribute to systematic reviews by: refining the scope of the review; suggesting and locating relevant literature; appraising the literature; interpreting the review findings; writing up the review. Numerous tensions, facilitating strategies and recommendations were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The issues raised in this paper should assist researchers in developing and conducting systematic reviews with the involvement of the public.
authors.affiliation: NIHR Research Design Service for Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom. j.boote@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boote
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Anthea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sutton
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006126:Group Processes; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research; D012107:Research Design; D012196:Review Literature as Topic