Do the findings of case series studies vary significantly according to methodological characteristics?

Abstract

Objectives: To review the use of case series in National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) reports, to review systematically the methodological literature for papers relating to the validity of aspects of case series design, and to investigate characteristics and findings of case series using examples from the UK's Health Technology Assessment programme. Data sources: Electronic databases. NICE website. Reports produced as part of the UK's HTA programme. Review methods: NICE HTAs that used information from case series studies were obtained from the NICE website and a range of quality criteria applied. Searches of electronic databases, handsearched jo..