Health research policy and systems / BioMed Central
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Health Res Policy Syst · Nov 2016
ReviewWhat are the best methodologies for rapid reviews of the research evidence for evidence-informed decision making in health policy and practice: a rapid review.
Rapid reviews have the potential to overcome a key barrier to the use of research evidence in decision making, namely that of the lack of timely and relevant research. This rapid review of systematic reviews and primary studies sought to answer the question: What are the best methodologies to enable a rapid review of research evidence for evidence-informed decision making in health policy and practice? ⋯ Greater care needs to be taken in improving the transparency of the methods used in rapid review products. There is no evidence available to suggest that rapid reviews should not be done or that they are misleading in any way. We offer an improved definition of rapid reviews to guide future research as well as clearer guidance for policy and practice.