The challenge of external validity in policy‐relevant systematic reviews: a case study from the field of substance misuse

Ref ID 235
First Author M. Pearson
Journal ADDICTION
Year Of Publishing 2010
URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02713.x?download=true
Keywords Mental health
External validity
Policy
Problem(s) Overly stringent inclusion criteria affecting external validity
Number of systematic reviews included 1
Summary of Findings The systematic review methods used produced an evidence base that did not inform the development of guidance to the extent that it could have done due to: (i) an emphasis upon internal research validity to produce an evidence base with an emphasis on short-term interventions at the level of the individual; (ii) criteria for appraising the external validity of studies were not developed sufficiently; and (iii) the systematic review of evidence and development of guidance were strongly reliant upon the judgement of reviewers and committee members.
Did the article find that the problem(s) led to qualitative changes in interpretation of the results? Not Applicable
Are the methods of the article described in enough detail to replicate the study? No