Applicability and feasibility of systematic review for performing evidence-based risk assessment in food and feed safety

E Aiassa, J P T Higgins, G K Frampton, M Greiner, A Afonso, B Amzal, J Deeks, J-L Dorne, J Glanville, G L Lövei, K Nienstedt, A M O'connor, A S Pullin, A Rajić, D Verloo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Food and feed safety risk assessment uses multi-parameter models to evaluate the likelihood of adverse events associated with exposure to hazards in human health, plant health, animal health, animal welfare, and the environment. Systematic review and meta-analysis are established methods for answering questions in health care, and can be implemented to minimize biases in food and feed safety risk assessment. However, no methodological frameworks exist for refining risk assessment multi-parameter models into questions suitable for systematic review, and use of meta-analysis to estimate all parameters required by a risk model may not be always feasible. This paper describes novel approaches for determining question suitability and for prioritizing questions for systematic review in this area. Risk assessment questions that aim to estimate a parameter are likely to be suitable for systematic review. Such questions can be structured by their "key elements" [e.g., for intervention questions, the population(s), intervention(s), comparator(s), and outcome(s)]. Prioritization of questions to be addressed by systematic review relies on the likely impact and related uncertainty of individual parameters in the risk model. This approach to planning and prioritizing systematic review seems to have useful implications for producing evidence-based food and feed safety risk assessment.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1026-34
    Number of pages9
    JournalCritical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
    Volume55
    Issue number7
    Early online date5 Sept 2014
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Applicability and feasibility of systematic review for performing evidence-based risk assessment in food and feed safety'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this