Literature Search Methods
A limited literature search was conducted on key resources including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) databases, Canadian and major international health technology agencies, as well as a focused Internet search. To address research question one, methodological filters were applied to limit retrieval to health technology assessments, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials. In addition, a focused search for non-randomized studies was conducted wherein main concepts appeared in title or major subject heading and a non-randomized studies filter was applied. To address research questions two and three, methodological filters were applied to limit retrieval to guidelines. Where possible, retrieval was limited to the human population. The search was also limited to English language documents published between January 1, 2011 and January 8, 2016.
Rapid Response reports are organized so that the evidence for each research question is presented separately.
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 performed by a second reviewer based on the inclusion criteria presented in .
Exclusion Criteria
Articles were excluded if they did not meet the selection criteria outlined in , they were duplicate publications, or were published prior to 2011.
Critical Appraisal of Individual Studies
All the included studies had non-randomized designs and they were critically appraised using the Downs and Black checklist for measuring study quality.8 Summary scores were not calculated for the included studies; rather, a review of the strengths and limitations of each included study were described narratively. The strengths and limitations of the individual studies are summarized in Appendix 3.
