Dr. Andrea Tricco et al. (2015) provide the following definition for rapid reviews: "a form of knowledge synthesis in which components of the systematic review process are simplified or omitted to produce information in a timely manner" (p.1). Rapid reviews are especially popular among decision-makers in health care settings. Rapid reviews can be distinguished by their ability to be conducted within a limited timeframe.

When to Use It: Based off Grant & Booth (2009) and Dr. Andrea Tricco et al. (2015), a rapid review might be right for you if you are interested in:

• Expediting finding an answer that will affect policy decisions or other pressing matters

• Acquiring quality information that is normally produced in a systematic review but have neither the time or budget to complete a full systematic review

The following characteristics, strengths, and challenges of conducting rapid reviews are derived from Booth (2016), Grant & Booth (2009) and Dr. Andrea Tricco et al. (2015). 

Characteristics:

• Rapid reviews often include "shortcuts" that streamline and shorten the review process. These include:

  • having a very focused, narrow question

  • searching less comprehensively in databases & grey literature

  • reviewing other reviews on the same topic

  • limiting key variables and conducting a basic quality appraisal

• A key component to the rapid review process is transparent reporting of the stages of the review process which were restricted

• Note that the timeline of a rapid review is not it's defining feature, it is rather how the review was tailored to the needs of the individual or organization that requests the review.

Strengths:

• Provides decision-makers with an evidence-based answer in a shorter amount of time than conducting a systematic review, which may be necessary for time-sensitive situations, particularly for health decision-makers

Challenges:

• Making amends to shorten the process of conducting the review may introduce bias

• Making amends can have other consequences including:

  • Lack of rigorous quality appraisal can lead to a poor evidence base

  • Expediting the synthesis process can lead to inconsistencies

• Poor reporting of methods utilized has been found

The following resources provide an overview and guidance on conducting and reporting rapid reviews.

METHODS & GUIDANCE

• Rapid Review Guidebook: Steps for conducting a rapid review by the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT)

A thorough guide on conducting rapid reviews from 2017, presented by Maureen Dobins.

• Rapid reviews to strengthen health policy and systems: a practical guide 

This guide provides a variety of methods that can be used when conducting rapid reviews. Authors: World Health Organization, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research

​​REPORTING GUIDELINE

• PRISMA-RR: an extension to PRISMA for rapid reviews

The guideline is currently under development.

SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES

Check out the supplementary resources page for additional information, including articles, on rapid reviews.