METHODS

Literature Search Strategy

A limited literature search was conducted on key resources including PubMed, The Cochrane Library (2014, Issue 8), University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) databases, Canadian and major international health technology agencies, as well as a focused Internet search. No filters were applied to limit the retrieval by study type. Where possible, retrieval was limited to the human population. The search was also limited to English language documents published between January 1, 2008 and August 22, 2014.

Selection Criteria and Methods

One reviewer screened citations and selected studies. In the first level of screening, titles and abstracts were reviewed and potentially relevant articles were retrieved and assessed for inclusion. The final selection of full-text articles was based on the inclusion criteria presented in Table 1.

Table 1

Selection Criteria.

Exclusion Criteria

Studies were excluded if they did not meet the selection criteria, were duplicate publications or included in a selected systematic review/meta-analysis, or if were published prior to 2008. Systematic reviews/meta-analyses with a more recent update were considered duplicates and were excluded; the most recent update will be considered the primary publication.

Critical Appraisal of Individual Studies

The methodological quality of the included systematic reviews and meta-analyses was evaluated using the “assessment of multiple systematic reviews” (AMSTAR).⁸ The Downs and Black Checklist⁹ was used to assess included randomized controlled trials. For the included studies a numeric score was not calculated for quality assessment. Instead, the strengths and limitations of the study were described.

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Bookshelf ID: NBK253368

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Botulinum Toxin A for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Review of the Clinical Effectiveness [Internet].

METHODS

Literature Search Strategy

Selection Criteria and Methods

Table 1

Exclusion Criteria

Critical Appraisal of Individual Studies

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