Criteria for Systematic Reviews

1
Criteria for Systematic Reviews
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Criteria for Reviews

• Used to judge the methodological aspects of
  studies included in a review
• Criteria include information relating to internal
  validity and to some degree external validity of
  studies

3
General Inclusion Criteria

• Specified diagnostic groups
• Specified intervention that reviewers feel can be
  identified by techniques described in the
  articles
• Age categories when appropriate
• Specified Holms levels or types of research
  design

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For example

• Articles specifically targeted the use of NDT as
  an intervention
• Intervention stated as NDT but combined with
  other sensorimotor techniques
• Intervention could be identified by reviewers as
  NDT by the techniques described
• All subjects had CP
• OR all subjects with CP had data that could be
  separated from other participants

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Example 2

• NDT was used as a treatment
• Did the subject group consist of children ages
  0-18 years of age with a neurological
  dysfunction?
• Was there a clinical outcome used in the study
  (standardized assessment or non-standardized
  observations)?
• Were subjects randomly assigned?
• Published after 1975

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Recognized Criteria

• Jaded et al., 1996
• Cochrane criteria
• AACPDM criteria (www.aacpdm.org)

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• Was study described as randomized? 1 point
• Was description of randomization clear as 1 point
• to whether all subjects had equal chances to
• be in control or study group?
• Was study described as double blind? 1 point
• Did the study describe placebos, dummies, or 1
  point
• identical placebos?
• 5. Was there a description of drop-outs or 1
  point
• withdrawals?
• One point each was deducted for incorrect
  randomization and blinding
• (Criteria from Brown Burns, 2001)