Overview of best practices in conducting comparative-effectiveness reviews.

Comparative-effectiveness research (CER) reviews translate mountains of evidence into manageable and meaningful messages to inform clinical practice. CER reviews also have the potential to shorten the pipeline between research and practice. Reaching these goals through CER reviews requires adherence to CER principles and procedures, as well as the use of appropriate quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and clinical judgment. Comprehensiveness, objectivity, transparency, scientific rigor, relevance, and responsiveness are the principles that underpin best practices in conducting a CER review.