Table 1.
Characteristics of the Included Systematic Reviews
| Characteristic | n (total = 105) | % |
| Year of publication or substantive update | ||
| Median | 2001 | |
| Interquartile range | 1999–2001 | |
| Focus of the review | ||
| Treatment | 89 | 84.8 |
| Prevention | 14 | 13.3 |
| Diagnosis | 1 | 1.0 |
| Other | 1 | 1.0 |
| Study designs included | ||
| RCT only | 55 | 52.4 |
| RCT and qRCT | 39 | 37.1 |
| RCT and other controlled trials | 11 | 10.5 |
| Meta-analysis undertaken | 78 | 74.3 |
| Review groups with 4 or more included reviews* | ||
| Musculoskeletal Injuries | 22 | 21.0 |
| Eyes and Vision | 12 | 11.4 |
| Renal | 9 | 8.6 |
| Prostatic Diseases and Urologic Cancers | 8 | 7.6 |
| Back | 6 | 5.7 |
| Schizophrenia | 6 | 5.7 |
| Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis | 5 | 4.8 |
| Infectious Diseases | 4 | 3.8 |
| Upper Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Diseases | 4 | 3.8 |
| Other | 29 | 27.6 |
| Number of included studies per review | ||
| Median | 12 | |
| Interquartile range | 5.0–19.5 |
Other group representation is as follows: Menstrual Disorders, Skin (3 reviews each), Effective Practice and Organisation of Care, Gynaecological Cancer, Heart, Hepato-Bilary, Hypertension, Lung Cancer (2 reviews each), Acute Respiratory Infections, Colorectal Cancer, Drugs and Alcohol, Ear, Nose and Throat, Fertility Regulation, HIV/AIDs, Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders, Movement Disorders, Oral Health, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Stroke (1 review each).