Evidence Based Practice in Action: Ten Tips for Assessing and Appraising Meta-Analyses

Meta-analyses are meant to be at the top of the evidence pyramid, and are relied upon by clinicians, researchers, and trainees across many disciplines for expert synthesis of research, however they often fall short in methods and presentation of results. Studies have shown systematic reviews and meta-analyses’ methods have errors in search strategies, sub-optimal methods, and lack of compliance with guidelines across fields and topics by authors and journals. It is crucial to critically assess meta-analyses and to determine their quality before relying on them for research or evidence-based practice, but current guidance on interpreting meta-analyses is scattered across many publications in various fields; this project fills this research gap.