Prepared for:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

540 Gaither Road

Rockville, MD 20850

www.ahrq.gov

Contract No. 290-02-0021

Prepared by:

University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center, Ottawa, Canada

Investigators

Kaveh G. Shojania, M.D.

Margaret Sampson, M.L.I.S.

Mohammed T. Ansari, M.B.B.S., M.Med.Sc., M.Phil.

Jun Ji, MD, M.H.A.

Chantelle Garritty, B.A., D.C.S., M.Sc.(c)

Steve Doucette, M.Sc.

Tamara Rader, M.L.I.S.

David Moher, Ph.D.

AHRQ Publication No. 07-0087

September 2007

This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission except those copyrighted materials noted for which further reproduction is prohibited without the specific permission of copyright holders.

Suggested Citation:

Shojania KG, Sampson M, Ansari MT, Ji J, Garritty C, Rader T, Moher D. Updating Systematic Reviews. Technical Review No. 16. (Prepared by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-02-0017.) AHRQ Publication No. 07-0087. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. September 2007.

No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in this report.

This report is based on research conducted by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD (Contract No. 290-02-0021). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s), who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The information in this report is intended to help clinicians, employers, policymakers, and others make informed decisions about the provision of health care services. This report is intended as a reference and not as a substitute for clinical judgment.

This report may be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools, or as a basis for reimbursement and coverage policies. AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of such derivative products may not be stated or implied.