By Claudiu Popescu, UMFCD
When I first joined the SQUEEZE project, I knew I had a lot to learn—especially when it came to systematic literature reviews (SLRs). I had read many before, usually with some pressure and uncertainty, but I had never dared to conduct one myself. The methodology seemed overwhelming. That changed thanks to the support and mentorship of Professor Loreto Carmona.
Learning from a Master
Loreto took the time to meet with me regularly online and also invited me to join one of her formal training courses. I was impressed—not only by her knowledge but by her ability to make complex concepts feel accessible and engaging. Her PhD students were clearly enthusiastic, and I quickly understood why.
Thanks to her encouragement and ongoing support, I felt ready to take on a full SLR myself—and that’s exactly what we did.
Our Research Focus: Socioeconomic Factors and DMARD Adherence
Together, we are investigating whether socioeconomic factors influence how well adult patients in Europe stick to their prescribed DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) for rheumatoid arthritis.
We carefully structured our research question using the PICO format:
• Population: Adults with RA in Europe
• Intervention: Socioeconomic factors (we’re looking at a broad range of them)
• Comparison: Not applicable
• Outcome: Measured rates of adherence to DMARDs
We chose to focus on Europe due to its relatively comparable socioeconomic standards, even while acknowledging east–west differences.
From 4,000 Articles to a Meaningful Core
We initially retrieved about 4,000 articles through our structured database search. After applying our inclusion and exclusion criteria—filtering out non-English studies, studies outside Europe, irrelevant patient groups, and those lacking adherence measurements—we narrowed the pool down to approximately 172 articles.
We are now halfway through reading them in full, with the aim of identifying trends, insights, and evidence to answer our core question. It’s a demanding but highly rewarding process.
From Review to Real-World Impact
What excites me most is that this review won’t just sit in a document. Based on what we find, we plan to develop a patient questionnaire that will help us understand the current real-world impact of socioeconomic factors on treatment adherence across Europe. This will provide critical insights not just for researchers, but for clinicians, policymakers, and patients alike.
A Personal and Professional Milestone
This experience has been transformational for me. I went from knowing nothing about how to conduct a systematic review to having the confidence and skills to apply this methodology in future projects. I now know how to search the literature methodically, assess it critically, and extract findings that are useful and quotable.
I’m grateful to Loreto for her guidance and to the entire SQUEEZE team for making this collaboration possible. It’s not just a scientific milestone for me—it’s a new tool in my researcher’s toolbox that I’ll carry with me throughout my career.
