Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Hochstrasse 29, 14770, Brandenburg, Germany.
Department of Orthopaedics, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2021 Sep;29(9):2739-2744. doi: 10.1007/s00167-021-06631-7. Epub 2021 Jun 28.
This article is a guidance how to write systematic reviews (SR's) and meta-analyses (MA) in orthopaedics and which aspects to focus on for transparency, systematicity and readability. Both SR and MA summarise and synthesise the best evidence available on a specific topic. This requires a systematic, structured and transparent process of analysis. The title should be concise, indicate type of review and ideally report the most important finding. Next, the structured abstract (no more than 350 words) should also raise key points and report the overall level of evidence. A relevant clinical question must be defined before the literature search is started. Methodological details such as databases searched, the exact search strategy (including time frame), inclusion/exclusion criteria, method of literature appraisal and statistical analysis must be described briefly. The primary and secondary outcomes should be mentioned. SR's be pre-registered before data extraction, to ensure transparency and the reduction of risk of bias. If registered, registration number should be stated in the abstract and the funding sources. A clear summary of the findings is important including the number of identified studies (depicted in a flowchart) and for meta-analyses a forest plot. The results of the literature appraisal and statistical analyses should be reported precisely. Subsequently, a general interpretation of findings and their significance and relevance to clinical practice should be provided. Clinical implications from the analysis should be drawn carefully and further research questions should be addressed. Finally, a conclusion, based solely on the results of the study is a necessity. Up to ten keywords are requested representing the main content of the article. Most applicable keywords should facilitate finding the manuscript in the databases and therefor considered carefully.
本文旨在为骨科领域的系统评价（SR）和荟萃分析（MA）写作提供指导，重点关注透明度、系统性和可读性。SR 和 MA 均对特定主题的现有最佳证据进行总结和综合。这需要对分析过程进行系统、结构化和透明的处理。标题应简明扼要，指明综述类型，并理想情况下报告最重要的发现。接下来，结构摘要（不超过 350 字）也应提出要点并报告整体证据水平。在开始文献检索之前，必须定义相关的临床问题。必须简要描述方法学细节，如搜索的数据库、确切的搜索策略（包括时间范围）、纳入/排除标准、文献评价方法和统计分析。应提及主要和次要结局。在提取数据之前，SR 应预先注册，以确保透明度和降低偏倚风险。如果已注册，应在摘要和资金来源中注明注册编号。重要的是要清楚总结研究结果，包括确定的研究数量（以流程图表示），对于荟萃分析，还应包括森林图。应准确报告文献评价和统计分析的结果。随后，应提供对发现的一般解释以及其对临床实践的意义和相关性。应谨慎地从分析中得出临床意义，并提出进一步的研究问题。最后，必须根据研究结果得出结论。要求提供最多十个关键词，代表文章的主要内容。应仔细考虑最适用的关键词，以方便在数据库中找到手稿。
