Systematic review : a cornerstone to promote the uptake of research findings for evidence-based practice

Abstract

Review of existing research findings from the literature is essential to inform evidence-based practice, decision making, academia and policy. In the medical field, systematic review is considered as standard practice, while in other fields there are different levels of uptake. As compared to traditional literature review, the methodology of systematic review adopts a number of steps and is systematic and transparent. This leads to increased rigour, less bias and allows reproducibility and update. There are still a number of difficulties with the conduct of systematic reviews. The utilisation of systematic review to support different areas of practice is highly recommendable.