Q: Can I develop a systematic review only from case reports?
Detailed Question -
I am considering the effectiveness of a specific treatment method. There are no reports comparing the cases that adopted the treatment and the cases that did not adopt the treatment. However, there are case reports for the cases that adopted the treatment. Given these case reports, I can assume the treatment will be effective. In such a case, can I write a systematic review?
Asked on Jan 25, 2021
1 Answer to this question
Yes, you may develop or write a systematic review from case reports. They have been done previously, as you may see in this paper on PubMed and this one on PLOS ONE.
For help with writing a systematic review right here, you may refer to the following resources:
- A researcher’s guide to a systematic review
- How do we conduct a thorough literature search for a systematic review?
- In my systematic review, should I describe my research method as qualitative or mixed?
Good luck with your review!
