In medical research, an umbrella review is a review of systematic reviews or meta-analyses.[1][2][3] They may also be called overviews of reviews, reviews of reviews, summaries of systematic reviews, or syntheses of reviews.[1] Umbrella reviews are among the highest levels of evidence currently available in medicine.[2]

By summarizing information from multiple overview articles, umbrella reviews make it easier to review the evidence and allow for comparison of results between each of the individual reviews.[1] Umbrella reviews may address a broader question than a typical review, such as discussing multiple different treatment comparisons instead of only one.[1][3] They are especially useful for developing guidelines and clinical practice, and when comparing competing interventions.[1][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Aromataris, Edoardo; Fernandez, Ritin; Godfrey, Christina M.; Holly, Cheryl; Khalil, Hanan; Tungpunkom, Patraporn (2015). "Summarizing systematic reviews". International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare. 13 (3): 132–140. doi:10.1097/XEB.0000000000000055. ISSN 1744-1609. PMID 26360830. S2CID 19585182.
  2. ^ a b Fusar-Poli, Paolo; Radua, Joaquim (2018). "Ten simple rules for conducting umbrella reviews". Evidence-Based Mental Health. 21 (3): 95–100. doi:10.1136/ebmental-2018-300014. ISSN 1362-0347. PMC 10270421. PMID 30006442.
  3. ^ a b c Brown University Library (1 September 2020). "LibGuides: Scientific Literature Review Resources and Services: Systematic vs Literature reviews". Retrieved 25 September 2020.


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