title: Evidence in mental health.
abstract: Health practitioners wishing to positively improve health outcomes for their clients have access to a unique set of collated tools to guide their practice. Systematic reviews provide guidance in the form of synthesized evidence that can form the basis of decision making as they provide care for their clients. This article describes systematic reviews as a basis for informed decision making by mental health practitioners. The process of systematic review is discussed, examples of existing systematic review topics relevant to mental health are presented, a sample systematic review is described, and gaps and emerging topics for mental health systematic reviews are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Texas Christian University - Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, TCU Box 298620, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA; Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, TCU Center for Evidence Based Practice and Research: A Collaborating Center of the Joanna Briggs Institute, Fort Worth, TX 79129, USA. Electronic address: s.weeks@tcu.edu.
authors.forename: Susan Mace
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Weeks
mesh_terms: D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Evidence synthesis; Evidence-based health care; Mental health; Mental illness; Systematic review