RECORD
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are being increasingly used to summarize medical literature and identify areas in which research is needed. Systematic reviews limit bias with the use of a reproducible scientific process to search the literature and evaluate the quality of the individual studies. If possible the results are statistically combined into a meta-analysis in which the data are weighted and pooled to produce an estimate of effect.
It is a common misconception that meta-analysis and systematic reviews are the same and the terms are often used interchangeably. While there is substantial overlap between the two they are not the same thing. Let’s start by defining the two concepts:
A systematic review is a detailed, systematic and transparent means of gathering, appraising and synthesising evidence to answer a well-defined question.
A meta-analysis is a statistical procedure for combining numerical data from multiple separate studies. A meta-analysis should only ever be conducted in the context of a systematic review.
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