The article, “Rapid evidence assessment: increasing the transparency of an emerging methodology” by Varker, Forbes, Dell, Weston, Merlin, Hodson, and O’Donnell (2015), addresses the critical demand for timely and rigorous literature reviews within evidence-based practice. It focuses on Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA), also known as rapid review, as a methodology that fulfills the need of policy makers, healthcare professionals, and consumers for prompt information on efficacious health care and treatments.
The authors identify a significant challenge in the field: the lack of transparency and limited critical appraisal often associated with current REA practices. To counteract this, the paper proposes a detailed, explicit, and reproducible methodology for conducting REAs that aligns with the principles of systematic review but is adapted for rapid information delivery. This approach encompasses an eight-step, three-phased process, starting with the development of an explicit research question in consultation with end-users and the creation of a thorough and reproducible search strategy.
A key contribution of this methodology is its comprehensive framework for assessing the quality of evidence across five specific domains: strength, direction, consistency, generalizability, and applicability. This framework enables researchers to provide knowledge users with a more nuanced understanding of the evidence, which is crucial for informing policy and decision-makers. The methodology also prioritizes the use of high-quality pre-existing systematic reviews and clinical guidelines to enhance speed and avoid duplication.
Ultimately, the paper advocates for transparent reporting of REA methodologies to provide greater clarity to end-users regarding how information is obtained and the inherent trade-offs between speed and rigor. The proposed methodology offers a feasible option for obtaining answers with a high level of certainty at a relatively lower cost compared to full systematic reviews.
APA Reference:
Varker, T., Forbes, D., Dell, L., Weston, A., Merlin, T., Hodson, S., & O’Donnell, M. (2015). Rapid evidence assessment: Increasing the transparency of an emerging methodology. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. doi:10.1111/jep.12405
