Can we systematically review studies that evaluate complex interventions?

Journal article

BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: The UK Medical Research Council defines complex interventions as those comprising "a number of separate elements which seem essential to the proper functioning of the interventions although the 'active ingredient' of the intervention that is effective is difficult to specify." A typical example is specialist care on a stroke unit, which involves a wide range of health professionals delivering a variety of treatments. Michelle Campbell and colleagues have argued that ...

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Authors: Shepperd, S; Lewin, S; Straus, S; Clarke, M; Eccles, M

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: PLoS medicine
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 8
• Pages: e1000086
• Publication date: 2009-08-01
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000086
• EISSN: 1549-1676
• ISSN: 1549-1277
• Language: English
• Keywords: Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Biomedical Research; Review Literature as Topic; Research Design; Meta-Analysis as Topic