Systematic Reviews And Meta-Analyses - Part One

One of the most important types of scientific investigation to understand

Pictured: Stock photo results for ‘review’. That probably didn’t need explanation, did it? Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I’m continuing my series of scientific explainers for paid subscribers, and since I’ve written a lot about systematic reviews and meta-analyses recently, I thought it’d be a good time to go over what they are and why you should care. These are a type of scientific study that has almost certainly impacted your life, even if you didn’t know about it. Often described as the pinnacle of evidence, systematic reviews are one of the key components of what we call “evidence-based medicine”.

Understanding these studies is extremely important if you’re interested in interpreting science in the news, because they are the things that governments make decisions based on. If you’re getting a medical treatment, it’s quite likely that at some point someone’s done a systematic review and meta-analysis that looks at which treatment is best for the condition you’ve got.

So, let’s dive into the wonderful world of human health. If you’re not a paid subscriber yet, please consider signing up for great pieces like these! This is the first piece in the series, and discusses what these studies are and a bit of the history behind them.