Writing a research review - some useful reading

Toolkit for writing research

Equator network 

Behaviour change 101: How to do a Rapid Review

23 July 2020

Commissioning agencies can expect the following outputs from BWA's Rapid Reviews and Practice

Reviews:

• executive summary

• detailed information on the methods, aims, search strategy, screening and selection process, as well as data extraction methods, quality appraisals and volume of literature searched

• information on the key characteristics of the studies identified, such as year, country, setting, number of studies, participants and intervention types 

• 'real world' insights from those involved in developing and/or delivering strategies to address the

problem under investigation 

• evidence and practice findings, conclusions and behavioural insights, as well as discussion points for the commissioning agency to consider with respect to other research opportunities

• commentary on the implications of the review in the context of the commissioning agency.

An Introduction to Writing Narrative and Systematic Reviews — Tasks, Tips and Traps for Aspiring authors
Heart, Lung and Circulation July 2018 Volume 27, Issue 7, Pages 893–898

SANRA—a scale for the quality assessment of narrative review articles
Research Integrity and Peer Review (2019) 4:5 

Lingard L. Writing an effective literature review : Part I: Mapping the gap. Perspect Med Educ. 2018;7(1):47-49. doi:10.1007/s40037-017-0401-x
"The purpose of the literature review section of a manuscript is not to report what is known about your topic. The purpose is to identify what remains unknown—what academic writing scholar Janet Giltrow has called the ‘knowledge deficit’—thus establishing the need for your research study."

Lingard L. Writing an effective literature review : Part II: Citation technique. Perspect Med Educ. 2018;7(2):133-135. doi:10.1007/s40037-018-0407-z
"Citation is more than just referencing; it is how we represent the social construction of knowledge in a field. A citation strategy is any indication in the text about the source and nature of knowledge.

 "Gasparyan AY, Ayvazyan L, Blackmore H, Kitas GD. Writing a narrative biomedical review: considerations for authors, peer reviewers, and editors. Rheumatol Int. 2011 Nov;31(11):1409-17. doi: 10.1007/s00296-011-1999-3. Epub 2011 Jul 29. PMID: 21800117. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21800117/ 

 

Narrative Review Checklist

Writing narrative style literature reviews
Medical Writing 2015 VOL. 24 NO. 4

A comparison table (Systematic review vs Narrative review)

Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines
Journal of Business Research Volume 104, November 2019, Pages 333-339

Med-Tech Landscape Review

Med-Tech Landscape Review
AHSN Network 26 February 2019

• An essential guide for companies looking to successfully develop and roll out innovations in the MedTech industry - medical devices, equipment and digital tools, this report features case studies, statistics and practical advice for navigating each step of the MedTech Innovation pathway.
• This guide has been produced because the AHSN national network thought that there might be an opportunity to adopt a systematic and coordinated national approach to supporting MedTech innovation, building on the support provided by the 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) to the NHS and to industry. The guide provides signposting to some key organisations who can offer up-to-the-minute advice. 
• Blog post by Piers RIckets (Chief Executive at Eastern AHSN) on the MedTech sector.

A review of the role and costs of CCGs

A review of the role and costs of clinical commissioning groups
NAO 18 December 2018

• This review sets out:
• changes to the commissioning landscape before CCGs were established;
• the role, running costs and performance of CCGs; and
• the changing commissioning landscape and the future role of CCGs.
• "There has been a phase of CCG restructuring with increased joint working and some CCGs merging. If current trends continue, this seems likely to result in fewer CCGs covering larger populations based around STP footprints. This larger scale is intended to help with planning, integrating services and consolidating CCGs’ leadership capability. However, there is a risk that commissioning across a larger population will make it more difficult for CCGs to design local health services that are responsive to patients’ needs, one of the original objectives of CCGs."
• "It is ... important that the current restructuring of CCGs creates stable and effective organisations that support the long-term aims of the NHS. Following almost three decades of change, NHS commissioning needs a prolonged period of organisational stability. This would allow organisations to focus on transforming and integrating health and care services rather than on reorganising themselves. It would be a huge waste of resources and opportunity if, in five years’ time, NHS commissioning is going full circle and undergoing yet another cycle of restructuring."
• The role of commissioning support units para 4.8-4.11.
• 4.10 Income to CSUs reduced from £810 million to £500 million between 2013-14 and 2017-8 
• 4.11 As the NHS commissioning landscape continues to change, with increased integration and the potential for larger-scale commissioning organisations, the requirements for external commissioning support may change further. NHS England stated that it is confident that the business cases for all five commissioning support units demonstrate their ongoing viability.

​The NHS and technology: How innovation is changing healthcare

​The NHS and technology: How innovation is changing healthcare
ZDNet and TechRepublic 5 December 2018

• This special report looks at how technologies from AI and virtual reality to wearables and robots could help the NHS. Download it as a free PDF ebook.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Distributed Ledger Technology (think blockchain)

Distributed Ledger Technology
Houses of Parliament POSTbrief No28,  August 2018

• DLT has attracted a lot of attention in recent years as it is the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Blockchain.
• This briefing provides a technical overview of the different types of DLT and how they work. It discusses some of the main applications of DLT and highlights the benefits and challenges of the technology.

Population Health Management Market Drivers in the UK

Population Health Management Market Drivers in the UK
Signify Research November 2017

• This white paper (6pp) examines the drivers for PHM deployment in the UK, one of the key markets that many of the US vendors are looking to as they expand their operations internationally and one of the larger PHM markets outside North America.
• It briefly describes:
• NHS IT Strategy - “to integrate services across health and care” is one of five priorities and the one that is the most relevant in terms of driving the PHM market in the UK. Greater alignment going forward with Five Year Forward View. 
• Five Year Forward View - a programme, first announced in 2014, to modernised healthcare provision in the NHS in England. A central vehicle in implementing the FYFV is the NHS Vanguards. 
• NHS Vanguards - integrated care partnerships developing new models of care. Nine Vanguards focusing on integrating primary and acute systems most relevant to PHM. 
• Global Digital Exemplars - 16 NHS acute providers that have been recognised for delivering exceptional care via the use of worldclass digital technology and information. A number have implemented PHM solutions. 
• Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) - 44 regional partnerships of providers across the care continuum building proposals with the aim to improve a whole population’s health 
• Accountable Care System (ACS) - based on the US Accountable Care Organisation (ACO) model, these are a subset of STPs that are highly evolved in terms of PHM strategy. Eight exist to date. A further eight will be announced in February 2018