Involving the public in systematic reviews: a narrative review of organizational approaches and eight case examples

Abstract

This paper reviews the recent literature on public involvement in the systematic review process. We examine how relevant organizations involve the public in their review processes and how the public are involved in individual reviews. We identified nine surveys or reports of public involvement in systematic reviews at an organizational level and eight examples of public involvement in individual reviews. The public was found to be involved in the following stages of the review process: topic prioritization; refining the scope of the review; suggesting, locating and appraising the literature; interpreting findings; and writing up the review. Numerous tensions, facilitating strategies and recommendations for good practice were identified. Future research directions are delineated.