Many people are familiar with the systematic reviews produced by international organizations like the Cochrane Collaboration (responsible for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (responsible for the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports). Lesser known are the systematic review publications produced by governmental organizations like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States (responsible for USPSTF Evidence Reviews) or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom (responsible for the Health Technology Assessment or HTA journal). From their websites:
Health Technology Assessment (HTA):
“HTA publishes research information on the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. The journal’s Technology Assessment Reports inform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. HTA research is also an important source of evidence for National Screening Committee (NSC) policy decisions.”
“The USPSTF conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a broad range of clinical preventive services, including screening, counseling, and preventive medications. Its recommendations are considered the “gold standard” for clinical preventive services. The USPSTF is supported by an Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC). Under contract to AHRQ, the EPC conducts systematic reviews of the evidence on specific topics in clinical prevention. These Evidence Syntheses, formerly Systematic Evidence Reviews, serve as the scientific basis for USPSTF recommendations.”
Both publications, the USPSTF Evidence Syntheses and the HTA journal, are indexed in PubMed and link to their respective full-text from the PubMed record. The Health Technology Assessment Database is also included in the MSK Library’s Cochrane Library subscription.
Fell free to contact us at the MSK Library with any questions about these or other sources of systematic research evidence.