Systematic review to inform prevention and management of chronic disease for Indigenous Australians: overview and priorities

To describe the main characteristics of systematic reviews addressing questions of chronic disease and related risk factors for Indigenous Australians. We searched databases for systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed quality and extracted characteristics using pre‐defi...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Australian and New Zealand journal of public health 2016-02, Vol.40 (1), p.22-29
Main Authors:	Gomersall, Judith Streak, Canuto, Karla, Aromataris, Edoardo, Braunack‐Mayer, Annette, Brown, Alex
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Australia Best practice chronic disease Chronic Disease - ethnology Chronic Disease - prevention & control Chronic illnesses Content analysis Disease Management Humans Indigenous Australian health Native peoples Oceanic Ancestry Group Public health Risk Factors Studies Systematic review
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	To describe the main characteristics of systematic reviews addressing questions of chronic disease and related risk factors for Indigenous Australians. We searched databases for systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed quality and extracted characteristics using pre‐defined tools. We identified 14 systematic reviews. Seven synthesised evidence about health intervention effectiveness; four addressed chronic disease or risk factor prevalence; and six conducted critical appraisal as per current best practice. Only three reported steps to align the review with standards for ethical research with Indigenous Australians and/or capture Indigenous‐specific knowledge. Most called for more high‐quality research. Systematic review is an under‐utilised method for gathering evidence to inform chronic disease prevention and management for Indigenous Australians. Relevance of future systematic reviews could be improved by: 1) aligning questions with community priorities as well as decision maker needs; 2) involvement of, and leadership by, Indigenous researchers with relevant cultural and contextual knowledge; iii) use of critical appraisal tools that include traditional risk of bias assessment criteria and criteria that reflect Indigenous standards of appropriate research. Systematic review method guidance, tools and reporting standards are required to ensure alignment with ethical obligations and promote rigor and relevance.
ISSN:	1326-0200 1753-6405