An introduction to umbrella reviews in evidence-based healthcare practice

BACKGROUND: It is essential to synthesise evidence to ensure that reliable data inform clinical practice. Umbrella reviews are a key approach for aggregating findings from systematic reviews, meta-analyses and meta-syntheses. They help healthcare professionals to evaluate diverse findings in a single, comprehensive review. Healthcare professionals must understand how umbrella reviews work to enable them to interpret the broader research landscape and make informed clinical decisions. AIM: To introduce the main features of umbrella reviews, examine their strengths and limitations and outline the stages involved in conducting a review. DISCUSSION: Umbrella reviews typically involve identifying relevant reviews, assessing their quality, synthesising their findings and highlighting overall patterns and gaps. There are challenges in conducting umbrella reviews, including the potential variability of the included reviews' quality and difficulties comparing studies with different methodologies. Nonetheless, they remain vital in guiding evidence-based practice, offering clarity in complex healthcare landscapes. CONCLUSION: Umbrella reviews are essential tools for synthesising high-level evidence, streamlining the process of informing clinical practice. Despite certain limitations, they support evidence-based decision-making effectively. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: By aggregating evidence from systematic and meta-studies, umbrella reviews enhance understanding of complex health issues, enabling clinicians to make well-informed decisions. They improve patient care, support better clinical guidelines and reduce variability in treatment. However, clinicians must account for potential variations in the quality of the included studies.