title: [How to critically assess systematic reviews and meta-analyses?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Systematic reviews are important knowledge generating tools to help the decision making process in the Critical Care Unit. This narrative aims to describe the important elements used to critically appraise intensive care-related systematic reviews.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  When critically assessing systematic reviews, one should pay particular attention to the importance and appropriateness of the research question, the search strategy, the inclusion criteria and methodological quality of the studies included, and the methods of data extraction. In addition, a relevant systematic review must have consistent data (in case of a meta-analysis) or the cause of the heterogeneity must have been adequately explored, and results must be applicable in critical patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To apply correctly the available scientific evidence, one should critically assess data quality of systematic reviews, selecting the relevant information to manage the critically ill patient.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, SP.
authors.forename: Otávio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Berwanger
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, SP.
authors.forename: Erica Aranha
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Suzumura
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, SP.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Buehler
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, SP.
authors.forename: João Bosco
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Oliveira