Answer individual questions by using collective scientific knowledge
Systematic literature reviews are common instruments to assess intervention effects of new medical procedures, devices or drugs and to estimate relationships between various parameters (e.g. how does parameter A depend on environmental factor B). It is essential for the clinical evaluation of medical devices and as a result of the increasing proliferation of low-quality studies (keyword: predatory journals), indispensable for any research project.
In the course of a systematic literature review studies will be evaluated transparently and according to comprehensible criteria. Main pillars are keyword-driven search strategies defined in advance (i.e. which indications or keywords should be searched for) and the systematic processing of procedures (e.g. PRISMA). Hence, a systematic literature review can determine or classify facts or dependencies (e.g. how strongly is a specific parameter related to a particular environmental condition) as objectively as possible.
Given the structured approach and the uniform evaluation criteria (comparable physical principle, purpose and target group), a systematic literature review is essential also for the approval of medical devices. It can help you to identify potential risks of new treatments or contraindications (e.g. osteoporosis for bone implants) prior to the product launch.
With sufficient data (i.e. many high-quality, international studies) systematic literature reviews can also help to classify the effect that can be induced by a medical device and subsequently help to plan future studies more precisely (e.g. sample size calculation). If a new product is equivalent to an existing one (i.e. the same physical principle, the same indication and the same group of participants) and if the technical documentation of the existing product is available, a structured literature review can also be used to clarify the effectiveness or the added value of a new medical device.
By carrying out systematic literature reviews, CCMD would like to support your company with the clinical evaluation of your medical device. By means of “Rapid Reviews” the risk-benefit-ratio of existing medical devices can be precisely assessed in a cost-effective way. Tailor-made reviews for the current state-of-the-art, medical alternatives and the clinical effectiveness and safety of a medical procedure or a medical device further help you to eliminate potential third-party concerns regarding your product in advance in an evidence-based manner.
In the area of systematic literature reviews we offer the following services: