Literature review

A literature review is a search and evaluation of available published studies in a chosen topic area. Occasionally, ‘grey’ literature may be included (e.g. unpublished reports, newsfeeds, websites). In economic evaluation, literature reviews are used to identify and summarise data and outcomes for a wide range of purposes, e.g. collating and summarising the results of clinical or economic evaluations of a specific health intervention, or identifying data inputs for possible use in future economic modelling. Literature reviews vary widely in their scope and quality, which may depend in part on the purpose and the resources (cost, time) available. Reviews range from short pragmatic reviews to systematic literature reviews, of which the latter provides a more robust and comprehensive answer to the review question and are frequently required in submissions presented to reimbursement agencies. Some reviews may also include a quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis) of the identified data.