Strategies for conducting a systematic search/review

Posted: March 13th, 2024

Strategies for conducting a systematic search/review

Once you have selected a PICOt question discuss your strategies for conducting a systematic search/review of the literature in order to answer your question. Explain how you will critically appraise the literature you have selected to determine the best evidence for this assignment.

 

My PICOT IS; “In adults’ individuals (P), how does regular physical training and dietary changes (I), compared to standard care (C), decrease the risk of hyperlipidemia (O), within 30 days (T)?”

Systematic Search Strategy

The literature search should be conducted using multiple academic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The search terms will include a combination of relevant keywords related to the PICOT components, such as “adults,” “physical activity,” “diet,” “hyperlipidemia,” “lipid profile,” and “lifestyle intervention.” Boolean operators (AND, OR) will be used to combine search terms and retrieve relevant studies.

Study Selection Criteria

The initial search results will be screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria may include studies published between 2015 and 2024, studies involving adult participants, interventions focusing on physical activity and dietary modifications, and outcomes related to lipid profile or hyperlipidemia risk. Exclusion criteria may include studies involving participants with specific comorbidities, non-interventional studies, and studies not reported in English.

Critical Appraisal

The selected studies will undergo a thorough critical appraisal process to assess their methodological quality and potential risk of bias. This will involve evaluating factors such as study design, sample size, randomization procedures, blinding techniques, outcome measurement methods, and statistical analyses. Validated critical appraisal tools, such as the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies, will be utilized.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

Relevant data from the included studies will be extracted using a standardized data extraction form. This may include information on study characteristics, participant demographics, intervention details, outcomes measures, and results. The extracted data will be synthesized, and a narrative or quantitative (meta-analysis) review will be conducted, depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies.

References

Liyanage, T., Malhotra, A., & de Courten, M. (2015). Exercise and dietary practice for management of hyperlipidemia. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, 9(5), 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-015-0447-5
Kosmas, C. E., Martinez, I., Sourlas, A., Bouza, K. V., Etesami, M., Tsogas, N., … & Aronow, W. S. (2018). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) functionality and its relevance to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Drugs in Context, 7, 212525. https://doi.org/10.7573/dic.212525
Dludla, P. V., Nkambule, B. B., Fourie, C. M., Sliwa, K., & Raidoo, D. M. (2019). Dietary intake of lipids and cardiovascular risk in black South African population with mixed dyslipidemia. Nutrients, 11(6), 1324. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061324
Lam, V., Rao, S., Sawaya, R. E., Marchi, M., & Mayer, E. (2021). The effects of exercise and lifestyle intervention on hyperlipidemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Lipidology, 15(2), 327-341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacl.2021.01.007
Lin, L., Zhang, J., Luo, H., Xu, M., & Guo, J. (2022). The effects of combined aerobic and resistance exercise on lipid profiles in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 20(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2021.09.001