Systematic reviewing in laboratory medicine. Position Paper from the IFCC Committee on Systematic Reviewing in Laboratory Medicine.

Each year a vast number of biomedical articles and books are published and based on the articles reviews are written. Such reviews should be performed in a systematic manner. Systematic reviewing is a new discipline with its own methods for locating, appraising, and summarizing primary studies. Such methods have also been developed for studies on diagnostic test evaluations. It is important for the laboratory disciplines to engage in this work. IFCC has established a Committee for Systematic Reviewing in Laboratory Medicine. This committee will work to promote the understanding, the use and the performance of systematic reviewing.