Rapid Review

Rapid reviews use similar approaches to a systematic review but simplify or omit some components of the systematic review method to deliver evidence quickly to make decisions on emerging issues. Compared to a systematic review, a rapid review takes a much shorter time to complete. Although the approaches used in rapid reviews vary greatly, they usually take less than five weeks.They use methodological shortcuts (at the risk of introducing bias) to make them faster than a full systematic review. Search strategies, comprehensiveness, and the time range covered for a rapid review may vary. 

Steps for Conducting a Rapid Review:

Rapid Review Guidebook: Steps for Conducting a Rapid Review National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University.

Cochrane RR Methods The Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group (RRMG) has developed provisional rapid review methods recommendations for Cochrane and others in the wider knowledge synthesis community to use.

Protocol Registration for RRs: PROSPERO accepts registration of protocols that include at least one clinically or patient-relevant outcome. The Open Science Framework (OSF) platform  also accepts protocol registrations for rapid reviews ( King et al., 2022).

For more information see:

Garritty C, Gartlehner G, Nussbaumer-Streit B, King VJ, Hamel C, Kamel C, L A, Stevens A. (2021). Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group offers evidence-informed guidance to conduct rapid reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiollogy, 130, 13-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.10.007

Khangura, Konnyu, K., Cushman, R., Grimshaw, J., & Moher, D. (2012). Evidence summaries: the evolution of a rapid review approach. Systematic Reviews, 1(1), 10–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-1-10

King, V.J., Stevens, A., Nussbaumer-Streit, B. Kame, C., Garritty, C (2022). Paper 2: Performing rapid reviews. Systematic Reviews 11, 151. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-02011-5

Stevens, A., Garritty, C, Hersi, M., Moher, D. (2018). Developing PRISMA-RR, a reporting guideline for rapid reviews of primary studies. Equator Network.