Systematic reviews: Brief overview of methods, limitations, and resources

Owens, Jacqueline K.

doi:10.1111/nae2.28

Cited by 50 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In addition, this review has some limitations, which are related, in particular, to a possible bias in the information collected: (i) potentially biased factors listed in the articles analyzed: number of sample ( 41 , 57 ); variables ( 41 , 47 , 54 ); group comparison ( 43 , 48 , 53 ); samples ( 48 ); logistical and methodological concerns ( 44 , 46 , 48 , 58 , 43 ); characteristics of the participants ( 45 , 48 , 61 , 58 ); contextual and demographic factors ( 45 , 48 , 57 ), type of consumed substances ( 61 ); judge’s decision regarding the type of sentence ( 53 ); omitted data ( 45 ); (ii) the systematic review itself can contribute to bias related to selection, selective outcome reporting, clinical or statistical inconsistency, and imprecision that may lead to systematic and random errors ( 75 , 76 ). The non-performance of the quality table is also a limitation of the present study, this quality assessment would explain the evaluation of the methodological quality of studies and is recommended to integrate systematic reviews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criminal reactions to drug-using offenders: A systematic review of the effect of treatment and/or punishment on reduction of drug use and/or criminal recidivism

2023

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The association between substance use and crime is very common, but complex. Several countries have found strategies to face drug abuse and criminality that may exist associated to it, seeking to reduce overcrowded prisons and to promote the reductions of criminal recidivism and/or substance use. Through the guidelines of PRISMA, a systematic review was conducted with the aim to explore the different criminal reactions to individuals who use substances and are involved in the criminal justice system, namely the role of treatment and/or punishment in the reduction of crime recidivism and/or drug (ab)use. After gathering the following criteria of inclusion (individuals who use substances and are involved in the criminal justice system, between 18 and 65 years old, regardless of gender; consumers of licit/illicit psychoactive substances; without psychopathology not related with use/abuse of drugs; treatment programs; judicial interventions) the database found 155 articles between 1971 and 2022 from which 110 were selected for analysis (57 are from Academic Search Complete, 28 from PsycInfo, 10 from Academic Search Ultimate, seven from Sociology Source Ultimate, four from Business Source Complete, two from Criminal Justice Abstracts, and two from PsycArticles); additional records were included trough manual search. From these studies, 23 articles were included, as they answered the research question, and therefore, constitute the final sample of this revision. The results indicate treatment as an effective response of the criminal justice system in the reduction of criminal recidivism and/or drug use, addressing the criminogenic effect of reclusion/imprisonment. Therefore, interventions that privilege treatment should be chosen, although there are still gaps in terms of evaluation, monitoring and scientific publications regarding the effectiveness of treatment in this population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criminal reactions to drug-using offenders: A systematic review of the effect of treatment and/or punishment on reduction of drug use and/or criminal recidivism

2023

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“…Some relevant works could escape the attention of the authors. Secondly, meta-analyses and systematic reviews were frequently used in this systematic review, which may lead to the accumulation of Type I errors ( 214 ). Thirdly, the bias rating scale was developed by the authors of this work based on the scale from the study by Tanaka et al ( 16 ); this scale may itself be biased.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immune System Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: An Integrative View and Translational Perspectives

et al. 2022

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The immune system is generally known to be the primary defense mechanism against pathogens. Any pathological conditions are reflected in anomalies in the immune system parameters. Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of immune dysregulation and neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this systematic review, we summarized the available evidence of abnormalities in the immune system in schizophrenia. We analyzed impairments in all immune system components and assessed the level of bias in the available evidence. It has been shown that schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in all immune system components: from innate to adaptive immunity and from humoral to cellular immunity. Abnormalities in the immune organs have also been observed in schizophrenia. Evidence of increased C-reactive protein, dysregulation of cytokines and chemokines, elevated levels of neutrophils and autoantibodies, and microbiota dysregulation in schizophrenia have the lowest risk of bias. Peripheral immune abnormalities contribute to neuroinflammation, which is associated with cognitive and neuroanatomical alterations and contributes to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, signs of severe inflammation are observed in only about 1/3 of patients with schizophrenia. Immunological parameters may help identify subgroups of individuals with signs of inflammation who well respond to anti-inflammatory therapy. Our integrative approach also identified gaps in knowledge about immune abnormalities in schizophrenia, and new horizons for the research are proposed.

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“…Well-done systematic reviews, which include but are not limited to meta-analyses, offer an efficient way to evaluate a large amount of information for decision-makers in areas of research, policy, and patient care. Systematic reviews can help us know what we know about a topic, and what is not yet known, often to a greater extent than the findings of a single study ( 60 – 64 ). Systemic review studies on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 have grown in numbers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential limitations in systematic review studies assessing the effect of the main intervention for treatment/therapy of COVID-19 patients: An overview

2022

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BackgroundAlthough several studies have assessed the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of interventions in treating the COVID-19, many of them have limitations that can have an immense impact on their results. This study aims to assess the potential limitations in systematic reviews (SRs) that evaluate the effect of interventions on the treatment of the COVID-19.MethodsPubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences (WOS) databases were searched from inception to January 1, 2022. All systematic reviews investigated the effectiveness, efficacy, safety, and outcome of the main intervention (Favipiravir, Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, or Tocilizumab) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and reported the potential limitations of the included studies. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Quality Assessment Tool (QAT) for review articles. We conducted a content analysis and prepared a narrative summary of the limitations.ResultsForty-six studies were included in this review. Ninety one percent of the included studies scored as strong quality and the remaining (9%) as moderate quality. Only 29.7% of the included systematic reviews have a registered protocol. 26% of the included studies mentioned a funding statement. The main limitations of the included studies were categorized in 10 domains: sample size, heterogeneity, follow-up, treatment, including studies, design, definitions, synthesis, quality, and search.ConclusionVarious limitations have been reported in all the included studies. Indeed, the existence of limitations in studies can affect their results, therefore, identifying these limitations can help researchers design better studies. As a result, stronger studies with more reliable results will be reported and disseminated. Further research on COVID-19 SRs is essential to improve research quality and also, efficiency among scientists across the world.

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Systematic reviews: Brief overview of methods, limitations, and resources

Cited by 50 publications

References 25 publications

Criminal reactions to drug-using offenders: A systematic review of the effect of treatment and/or punishment on reduction of drug use and/or criminal recidivism

Criminal reactions to drug-using offenders: A systematic review of the effect of treatment and/or punishment on reduction of drug use and/or criminal recidivism

Immune System Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: An Integrative View and Translational Perspectives

Potential limitations in systematic review studies assessing the effect of the main intervention for treatment/therapy of COVID-19 patients: An overview

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