"Systematic review": is it different from the "traditional review"?

Use a structured format Objective Describe the clinical question explicitly Data sources Describe the databases (i.e., list) and other sources Review methods Describe the selection criteria (i.e., population, intervention, outcome, and study design); methods for validity assessment, data abstraction, and study characteristics; and quantitative data synthesis in sufficient detail to permit replication Results Describe characteristics of the RCTs included and excluded; qualitative and quantitative findings (i.e., point estimates and confidence intervals); and subgroup analyses Conclusion Describe the main results Introduction Describe the explicit clinical problem, biological rationale for the intervention, and rationale for review Methods Searching Describe the information sources in detail (e.g., databases, registers, personal files, expert informants, agencies, and hand-searching) and any restrictions (years considered, publication status, and language of publication) Selection The inclusion and exclusion criteria (defining population, intervention, principal outcomes, and study design) Validity assessment The criteria and process used (e.g., masked conditions, quality assessment, and their findings) Data abstraction The process or processes used (e.g., completed independently, in duplicate) Study characteristics The type of study design, participants’ characteristics, details of intervention, outcome definitions, and how clinical heterogeneity was assessed Quantitative data analysis The principal measures of effect (e.g., relative risk), method of combining results, (statistical testing and confidence intervals), and handling of missing data; how statistical heterogeneity was assessed; a rationale for any a-priori sensitivity and subgroup analyses; and any assessment of publication bias Results Trial flow Provide a metaanalysis profile summarizing trial flow Study characteristics Present descriptive data for each trial (e.g., age, sample size, intervention, dose, duration, and follow-up period) Quantitative data synthesis Report agreement on the selection and validity assessment; present simple summary results (for each treatment group in each trial, and for each primary outcome); present data needed to calculate effect sizes and confidence intervals in intention-to-treat analyses (e.g., 2 × 2 tables of counts, means and SDs, and proportions) Discussion Summarize key findings; discuss clinical inferences based on internal and external validity; interpret the results in light of the totality of available evidence; describe potential biases in the review process (e.g., publication bias); and suggest a future research agenda