Figure 1. Study Eligibility Flow Chart (Text Description)

Figure 1 describes how studies were chosen for inclusion. Searches of MEDLINE®, HealthSTAR, CCTR, CDSR, NHS, and the Centre for Dissemination and Reviews databases identified 1,048 abstracts, of which 689 were rejected following abstract review. Of the 359 full-text articles considered for inclusion, 324 were excluded for the following reasons:

Twenty-two randomized controlled trials (19-40), 8 non-randomized controlled trials (41-48), and 5 systematic reviews (49-53) met inclusion criteria. Fourteen of those were rated fair or good in quality.


Return to Figure 1
Return to Document