Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are the main drivers of policy, evidence-based guidelines, and funding decisions, but many of them are fraught with errors, and the resources needed to peer-review them are massive. A recent systematic review examined the quality of the current published meta-analyses in order to inform the design and reporting of future studies. In this month’s RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, joins John Kramer MSc, PhD, the senior author of “Quality of meta-analyses of non-opioid, pharmacological, perioperative interventions for chronic postsurgical pain: a systematic review,” first published in January 2022 (https://rapm.bmj.com/content/47/4/263). The systematic review explored the idea that surgery may represent an environment, known as a transitional pain state, that could result in a patient developing chronic pain following surgery. Dr. John Kramer is an associate professor in the faculty of medicine, department of anesthesiology, pharmacology and therapeutics, and principal investigator at ICORD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His lab is focused on improving outcomes for individuals with spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain. *The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on Twitter @RAPMOnline.