How to use the Evidence Maps?

The evidence maps present, in a matrix of interventions and outcomes, an overview and a graphic synthesis of the evidence on interventions of TCIM-related medical systems and therapeutic methods for specific health problems (outcomes). The maps are prepared in a process that involves a systematic search of documents in the main databases, study selection according to inclusion criteria, and subsequent characterization.

Is developed on an interactive online platform that allows users to identify existing evidence. In the matrix cells, the circles located at the intersections between the interventions and the outcomes represent the identified studies. The size of the circle represents the volume of studies. The color of the circles represents the confidence level (high, moderate, low, critically low) according to a methodological qualification of the studies included in the map. Review studies are evaluated using the AMSTAR2 tool (Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews). When the map includes reviews and primary studies, the confidence level classification is predefined according to the types of studies.

Hovering over a circle displays a list of the studies that the figure represents. The links for these studies lead to the full text (if open access is available) or to the corresponding record in a database of the Virtual Health Library (VHL). It is possible to filter the evidence by type, country foccus, effect of the intervention (positive, negative), and population.