Abstract

The article provides a practical guide to critically appraise a review article, the quality of a systematic review and of any document arising from a systematic review. At present, the most widely used criteria to assess the methodological quality of a systematic review, is AMSTAR. This guide should not be used as a simple checklist – the reader should always have a critical attitude and reach her own conclusions from the objective results of the review. The article reminds us that meta-analysis is not a synonym of validity – it is a statistical technique that can be used for good or for worse. Systematic reviews are found in biomedical journal and in specialized data bases; however, they are also used as input for Clinical Practical Guidelines and health technology assessment reports. Sources for systematic reviews are MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, and Tripdatabase.