If we consider an RCT, a case control study, an opinion article or grey unpublished literature all together due to the unavailability of papers in a systematic review knowing the fact that it will not be 100% quality assurance but comes with its own limitations, would you go ahead?.
or
Is it better to do a scoping review?.,
Looking forward for expert opinions
Many thanks
Punitha
Hi, I have faced this situation many times, and I also often see systematic reviews of studies that are cases series (prospective/ retrospective) only. In my own work I often take the decision to include non-RCTs that are prospective in design and, if possible, control for confounding by matching or by propensity scores and seek the best means of assessing risk of bias. It certainly wouldn't be an anomaly if you performed a review of studies that were mainly case series. Cochrane Library provides guidance on the decision whether to include non-randomised studies, and I would look here first I think.
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