Developing rapid review guidance for clinical research

Systematically reviewing prior evidence is of paramount importance before starting a new clinical study. Failure to acknowledge existing evidence can result in unnecessary, unethical, and costly research, puts patients at risk, limits the available resources for necessary and well-designed research, and diminishes the public’s trust in science. Systematic reviews ensure that clinical studies are warranted and optimally designed. This project is part of a larger project with the overall objective to improve clinical research practice when justifying and designing a new clinical trial. Rapid reviews are a form of systematic reviews with accelerated methods. The aim of this sub-project is to develop rapid review guidance especially for clinical researchers. The guidance will be developed based on previous literature, input from experts and will be pilot tested with clinical researchers.