Revisión sistemática y progreso científico

The systematic review of scientific literature has become the cornerstone of evidence-based practice. However, its contribution to scientific progress has not received the attention it deserves. Considering this problem, this article proposes the thesis that systematic reviews can contribute to scientific progress. To this end, it draws on the noetic conception proposed by Finnur Dellsén, which defines scientific progress as changes in publicly available scientific information that enable relevant members of society (users of scientific information, such as healthcare professionals) to increase their understanding of a given phenomenon. Following this line of reasoning, it was possible to clarify how systematic reviews can contribute to this form of progress by making publicly available information more accessible through information synthesis (e.g., meta-analysis) based on clearly established evaluation criteria, thereby improving the understanding of certain phenomena.