Prioritization of systematic reviews leads prioritization of research gaps and needs

摘要

A recent article in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology [1] and another article in this issue [2] suggest a new approach to develop a more systematic and strategic approach for research management based on systematic reviews. The research management process includes steps related to identifying a research question, choosing appropriate research methods, and conducting research. For each step, numerous tools and methods have been developed. This includes a classification for research gaps in four groups: (1) insufficient or imprecise information, (2) biased information, (3) inconsistency or unknown consistency, and (4) not the right information.However, the evaluation and implementation of the research management process is not always linear and straightforward. Research can be driven by curiosity of researchers, interest of certain groups, and lucky occasions when certain researchers and funders come together and make things happen.