The Role of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Evidence-Based Medicine

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been defined as the “conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.” 1 The first important principle of EBM is hierarchy of evidence expressed as an “Evidence Pyramid.”1,2 Based on this principle, the result of research is different based on study design.1-3 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been placed at the top of this pyramid.1,3,4 Case series/reports have been placed at the bottom, case–control and cohort studies in the middle, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) below systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the pyramid... (Read more...)