3.7.9 Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions

This section should begin with an overall conclusion based on the results. The conclusions drawn should match with the review objective/question.

Recommendations for practice

The recommendations for practice should be context specific and enable a reader to consider the applicability to practice. E.g. suggesting in a general sense that ‘…more education should be provided…’ is not a useful contribution.

Instead, provide direction for a specific type of education on a specified topic for the specific participants. It should be stated how the findings of the review are proposed to impact on clinical practice in the area. If there is sufficient evidence to make specific recommendations for practice, then the appropriate JBI Grade of Recommendation should be assigned to each recommendation.

Recommendations for research

This section should include clear, detailed specific recommendations for future research based on gaps in knowledge identified from the results of the review. The implications for research should not be generic statements on a phenomena of interest without providing specific detail on:

• what phenomena should be investigated,

• the context in which it should be investigated, and

• the specific populations to be considered

By this stage in a systematic review, the international literature on the topic has been comprehensively reviewed, and authors therefore well placed to provide meaningful, researchable recommendations. While drafting implications for research, consider what information you would find helpful if you were planning to do further research on the topic.