Epistemonikos: a comprehensive database of systematic reviews for health decision-making
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Systematic reviews allow health decisions to be informed by the best available research evidence. However, their number is proliferating quickly, and many skills are required to identify all the relevant reviews for a specific question.
Methods and findings
We screen 10 bibliographic databases on a daily or weekly basis, to identify systematic reviews relevant for health decision-making. Using a machine-based approach developed for this project we select reviews, which are then validated by a network of more than 1000 collaborators. After screening over 1,400,000 records we have identified more than 300,000 systematic reviews, which are now stored in a single place and accessible through an easy-to-use search engine. This makes Epistemonikos the largest database of its kind.
Conclusions
Using a systematic approach, recruiting a broad network of collaborators and implementing automated methods, we developed a one-stop shop for systematic reviews relevant for health decision making.
Description
Keywords
Bibliographic database, Systematic reviews, Epistemonikos, Evidence-based practice
Citation
BMC Medical Research Methodology. 2020 Nov 30;20(1):286