Objective: To enhance the quality and usability of systematic reviews by providing methodological guidelines that will help researchers report results of systematic reviews of trials in the field of musculoskeletal health is a more friendly format.

Methods: The literature and the Cochrane Library were reviewed to identify methods used to synthesize effectiveness and safety data and to report results in a clinically relevant and useful format. Approaches used in grading the overall strength of the evidence were also reviewed.

Results: Diverse approaches exist in the literature and in the Cochrane Library for presenting meta-analysis results. The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group has developed initial guideline recommendations to ensure the clinical relevance (minimal clinically meaningful change) of results are reported and the results are translated into usable formats. The experience and results of implementing these guidleines in over 10 new Cochrane reviews will be discussed.

Conclusions: Like the trials they report, systematic reviews need be conducted according to high methodological standards. To have impact, the results of systematic reviews must be made "usable" by providing results in clinically relevant formats.