Synthesis of evidence in health education

Abstract

The systematic review of the literature is the explicit and assessment of the literature, derived from a clear research question, along with a critical analysis according to different tools and a qualitative summary of the evidence. If clear and homogeneous data are found then it is possible to perform a statistical analysis called “meta-analysis”. Systematic reviews should cover the following: Have a clear question based on the PICO strategy, a reproducible search strategy, appropriate selection of studies along with data extraction, assessment of the quality of evidence with some of the different tools and a meta-analysis if it is appropriate.
Systematic literature reviews/meta-analyzes are a fundamental support for decision-making in the clinical area and in education, in addition to the development of public policies in all areas of knowledge.