From: Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach
 | Rapid review | Systematic review |
---|---|---|
Timeframe b | ≤ 5 weeks | 6 months to 2 years |
Question | Question specified a priori (may include broad PICOS) | Often a focused clinical question (focused PICOS) |
Sources and searches | Sources may be limited but sources/strategies made explicit | Comprehensive sources searched and explicit strategies |
Selection | Criterion-based; uniformly applied | Criterion-based |
Appraisal | Rigorous; critical appraisal (SRs only) | Rigorous; critical appraisal |
Synthesis | Descriptive summary/categorization of the data | Qualitative summary +/- meta-analysis |
Inferences | Limited/cautious interpretation of the findings | Evidence-based |