This file contains a series of tools which can be used to help clinicians assess the quality of different types of studies. Assessing the quality of overviews Overviews is the generic heading used to describe systematic reviews, guidelines and meta-analysis. These forms of evidence are very useful providing that they have been carefully and systematically completed. Therefore, users have to check that this is the case. Any overview requires that the process of searching for the evidence included was exhaustive and systematic.
Guidelines go beyond summarizing the research evidence to making recommendations for practice.
Therefore the user needs to check how the process of making recommendations was carried out. Meta-analysis involves the reviewers reanalyzing the results of individual studies as if they were one large study. Therefore the users have to check how this process was carried out. The files below contain a flow chart illustrating the process of critically appraising overviews and a set of tools for appraising overviews. The strength of evidence for each recommendation may vary.