What health evidence can we trust when we need it most?

Dr Jenny McSharry, Health Psychologist and lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Galway, explains what systematic reviews are and why they are a particularly trustworthy source of health evidence.  Dr Jenny Mc Sharry was supported by an Evidence Synthesis Ireland Writing Mentorship (Grant code ESI-2021-001) and this blog post was originally  posted onEvidently Cochrane.When we are diagnosed with a new condition, experience a worrying symptom or need to make a health decision for ourselves or our loved ones, it can be hard to know where to turn. How often have we found ourselves unable to sleep, alone at 3AM, searching online for answers to questions we never thought we would have to ask?   In times of anxiety and uncertainty, how can we know what health evidence to trust when we need it most?When looking for reliable information to help with health decisions, reviews of evidence, in particular systematic reviews, can be a good place to start.Systematic reviews of multiple studies can be useful for health decisionsReviews that bring together and summarise the existing evidence are more reliable than one research study, or one person ’s opinion or experience. Lots of things can affect the findings of a research study and we can have more confidence in reviews that bring together lots of studies. There is more information on why Personal experiences or anecdotes (stories) are an unreliable basis for assessing the effects of most treatments on the Evide...
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