Information specialists improve the quality of systematic reviews

Systematic reviews (SR) are a recognised standard for synthesising clinical data in order to support evidence-based clinical decisions. A robust search strategy is the core of an SR, requiring theoretical and methodological considerations in the pre-, intra- and post-search stage. This review discusses the competencies necessary to design a search including the necessary symbiosis between medical knowledge and detailed knowledge of database architecture and corresponding semantics. Information specialists play an important role in high-quality SR.