Nurs 651: Pharmacologic Practices for Advanced Practice Nursing

Nursing Practice, Evidence-Based

Source: CINAHL heading scope note

Systematic Reviews 

A systematic review gathers studies to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research. It poses a highly specific research question that requires examination of homogenous studies, usually quantitative studies. It aims to find consensus in the literature to settle the research question and provide a single summary and analysis on the effectiveness of a specific intervention for clinical application.

Using Systematic Reviews

Systematic reviews (as well as all other reviews and meta-analysis articles) are Level 1 on the Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt Hierarchy of Evidence. These articles are not novel or primary resources, and so they cannot be used in literature reviews or PICO analyses. These studies are useful in the following ways:

• A background resource to gain understanding of the topic; to gain understanding of current best practice and areas for further research
• A resource to learn preferred terms and vocabulary
• A source to cite in the "background" of a paper or article
• A source to use to find other sources (from the systematic review's "References" page)

Finding Systematic Reviews

While many journals publish systematic reviews, in Nursing Science, Cochrane and Joanne Briggs Institute are premier resources and an excellent place to start.

Gaining Access to Systematic Reviews

As with all other articles, if Saint Mary's College does not have full-text access, SMC affiliates can request articles through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).