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How to undertake a systematic review in an occupational setting

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr P J Nicholson
Occupational Health, Procter & Gamble, Whitehall Lane, Egham, Surrey TW20 9NW, UK; nicholson.pj@pg.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Although there are many narrative reviews of many occupational health topics, there are few high-quality systematic reviews, and no single and concise source of advice on how to undertake such reviews in the occupational setting.

A "review" is any attempt to synthesise the results and conclusions of two or more publications on a given topic. A "systematic review" aims to identify and appraise all the literature on a topic, ranking the credibility accorded to evidence depending on the likelihood of bias influencing data collection and interpretation. A meta-analysis incorporates a specific statistical strategy to amass the results of several studies investigating a particular effect—for example, of exposure or intervention into a single estimate.

Systematic reviews provide the evidence-based findings required for writing scientifically supportable practice guidelines that help to ensure that occupational health professionals and others practise in such a way as to ensure that workers have the best health . . . [Full text of this article]

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