Types of literature reviews in health: from narrative review to systematic review with meta-analysis
Rodrigo Daminello Raimundo
Abstract
Introduction: The accelerated growth of scientific production has rendered literature reviews an indispensable tool for the organization, interpretation, and application of knowledge in health. However, it is important to note that different types of reviews have distinct objectives, levels of methodological rigor, and forms of synthesis.
Objective: To present the main types of literature reviews used in the health field, including narrative, integrative, scoping, systematic, umbrella, rapid and qualitative reviews, with an in-depth discussion of the methodological foundations of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Methods: This is a theoretical-methodological narrative study, developed from methodological literature on evidence synthesis. The characteristics, purposes, indications and limitations of the main types of review were discussed, as well as the essential stages of systematic reviews, including formulation of the research question, protocol development, search strategy, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, synthesis of results and assessment of the certainty of evidence.
Results: Relevant differences were identified among types of review regarding the breadth of the question, degree of systematization, need for structured searching, critical appraisal of studies and form of synthesis of findings. Narrative and integrative reviews have a broader and more interpretive character; scoping and mapping reviews are useful for exploring emerging fields and knowledge gaps; systematic reviews use explicit and reproducible methods to answer specific questions; and meta-analyses allow quantitative pooling of results when studies show clinical, methodological and statistical comparability.
Conclusion: The choice of review type should be guided by the nature of the research question, the maturity of the available evidence, and the purpose of the synthesis. Coherence among the question, method, and interpretation of findings is essential to ensure the validity, transparency, and applicability of literature reviews in health, thereby supporting the production of reliable knowledge and the qualified use of evidence in clinical practice, management, and public policy formulation.
Keywords: literature review, systematic review, meta-analysis, evidence synthesis, methodology.
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