Systematic reviews
Advice on research activities
Systematic reviews are increasing in importance for evidence-based medicine. Systematic reviews tend to involve meta-analysis of a given set or sub-set of treatments for purposes of evaluation, and as such will normally be coded in 6 Treatment Evaluation, using appropriate sub-code(s) for the particular treatments being assessed. If the review involves such a range of treatments that more than four sub-codes (the maximum allowed under HRCS) is required, use 100% 6.9 Resources and Infrastructure.
However some systematic reviews have a scope beyond treatment comparisons and may involve an assessment of delivery of 8 Health Services. Such broad, organisational systematic reviews should be coded as 8.1 Organisation and delivery of services.
Main inclusion criteria
Examining the organisation and provision of health and social care services and evaluating factors affecting the quality of care, including:
- workforce and career issues
- organisation and management of services
- access to health and social care and geographical variations in outcomes
- effectiveness of different care settings and models of service delivery
- evaluating quality of care including patient safety issues
- evaluation of experiences of service users
- assessment of current and future health care demands
- development and evaluation of interventions to improve services
Advice on research activities
Includes all aspects of the delivery of health care.
Also includes the evaluation of the impact of non-specified or multiple treatments on a particular condition e.g. evaluation of health interventions on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.
Includes service users’ experiences of health services.
Official terminology
Full name of code |
Short name | Unique ID |
8.1 Organisation and delivery of services | 8.1 Delivery |
HRCS_RA_8_1 |
Related external links
Common Scientific Outline (CSO) – 6.4 Health Services, Economic and Health Policy Analyses
Main inclusion criteria
- provision and distribution of resources related to clinical and applied therapeutic interventions
- infrastructure support for clinical and applied research networks and trials, consortia and centres
Official terminology
Full name of code |
Short name | Unique ID |
6.9 Resources and infrastructure (treatment evaluation) | 6.9 Resources |
HRCS_RA_6_9 |
Related external links
Common Scientific Outline (CSO) – 5.7 Resources and Infrastructure Related to Treatment