Researchers from the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre - Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau) have published a systematic review on prioritisation processes for updating systematic reviews (SRs), health technology assessments (HTAs), and clinical guidelines (CGs).

The authors searched MEDLINE (PubMed, August 2016) and The Cochrane Methodology Register (The Cochrane Library, 2016). They hand searched abstract books, reviewed reference lists, and contacted experts. Two reviewers independently screened the references and extracted data.

The SR includes 14 studies. Six were classified as descriptive and eight as implementation studies. Six studies reported an updating strategy, six a prioritisation process, and two a prioritisation criterion. Eight studies focused on SRs, six on CGs, and none on HTAs. The authors identified 76 prioritisation criteria that can be applied when prioritising for updating. The most frequently cited criteria were availability of new evidence, clinical relevance of the topic of study, and users' interest.

This study compiles strategies that may foster prioritisation processes to efficiently maintain SRs, HTAs, and CGs up to date. However, further rigorous methodological research is required to optimise the prioritisation process for updating.

Reference: Martínez García L, Pardo-Hernandez H, Superchi C, Nino de Guzman E, Ballesteros M, Ibargoyen Roteta N, et al. Methodological systematic review identifies major limitations in prioritisation processes for updating. J Clin Epidemiol. 2017;86:11-24. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28549931).