OBJECTIVE: To simulate possible changes in systematic review results if rapid review methods were used. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We re-calculated meta-analyses for binary primary outcomes in Cochrane systematic reviews, simulating rapid review methods. We simulated: searching only PubMed; excluding older articles (5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 years prior to the search date); excluding smaller trials (20% could be tolerated. This could be the case in scoping reviews, resource limitation, or where syntheses are needed urgently. Other situations, such as clinical guidelines and regulatory decisions, favour more comprehensive systematic review methods
