Articles

Introducing RAPTOR: RevMan Parsing Tool for Reviewers

Much effort is made to ensure Cochrane reviews are based on reliably extracted data. There is a commitment to wide access to these data—for novel processing and/or reuse—but delivering this access is problematic.

Authors: Lena Schmidt, Farhad Shokraneh, Kirsten Steinhausen and Clive E. Adams

Effectiveness and acceptability of methods of communicating the results of clinical research to lay and professional audiences: protocol for a systematic review

Phase III randomised controlled trials aim not just to increase the sum of human knowledge, but also to improve treatment, care or prevention for future patients through changing policy and practice. To achiev...

Authors: Annabelle South, Julia Bailey, Mahesh K. B. Parmar and Claire L. Vale

Protocol on a systematic review of qualitative studies on asthma treatment challenges experienced in Sub-Saharan Africa

Asthma is a major worldwide public health problem affecting an estimated 334 million people with over 300,000 deaths annually. Twenty-two million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are lost annually due to...

Authors: Pisirai Ndarukwa, Moses John Chimbari and Elopy N. Sibanda

Palliative care interventions in intensive care unit patients – a systematic review protocol

Even though data suggest that palliative care (PC) improves patient quality of life, caregiver burden, cost, and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, integration of PC in the ICU is far from being univers...

Authors: Victoria Metaxa, Despina Anagnostou, Savvas Vlachos, Nishkantha Arulkumaran, Ingeborg van Dusseldorp, Sherihane Bensemmane, Rebecca Aslakson, Judy E. Davidson, Rik Gerritsen, Christiane Hartog and Randall Curtis

Accurate GFR in obesity—protocol for a systematic review

Obesity is increasing globally. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with obesity. Kidney function is commonly estimated with equations using creatinine (such as CKD-EPI equation) which is a pro...

Authors: Sriram Sriperumbuduri, Robert Dent, Janine Malcolm, Swapnil Hiremath, Ran Klein, Christine A. White, Pierre Antoine Brown and Ayub Akbari

Antibiotic treatment for ocular toxoplasmosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis: study protocol

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is the most common cause of posterior uveitis, leading to visual impairment in a high proportion of patients. Antibiotics and corticosteroids lower the risk of permanent visual impair...

Authors: John E. Feliciano-Alfonso, Andrés Vargas-Villanueva, María Alejandra Marín, Laura Triviño, Natalia Carvajal, Manuela Moreno, Tatiana Luna, Clara Lopez de Mesa, Juliana Muñoz-Ortiz and Alejandra de-la-Torre

Usability and acceptability of four systematic review automation software packages: a mixed method design

New software packages help to improve the efficiency of conducting a systematic review through automation of key steps in the systematic review. The aim of this study was to gather qualitative data on the usab...

Authors: Gina Cleo, Anna Mae Scott, Farhana Islam, Blair Julien and Elaine Beller

Control group changes in objectively measured physical activity in primary care: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

There is some evidence that simply measuring physical activity alone can increase self-reported physical activity behaviour. Objective measures of physical activity in intervention studies have increased subst...

Authors: Nicole Freene, Rachel Davey and Steven M. McPhail

A question of trust: can we build an evidence base to gain trust in systematic review automation technologies?

Although many aspects of systematic reviews use computational tools, systematic reviewers have been reluctant to adopt machine learning tools.

Authors: Annette M. O’Connor, Guy Tsafnat, James Thomas, Paul Glasziou, Stephen B. Gilbert and Brian Hutton

Exercise therapy in the treatment of tendinopathies of the lower limbs: a protocol of a systematic review

Tendinopathies are specific degenerative conditions of the tendon characterized by pain and disability. The most common tendinopathies of the lower limbs are patellar, Achilles, gluteal, and proximal tendinopa...

Authors: Yuri Rafael dos Santos Franco, Gisela Cristiane Miyamoto, Katherinne Ferro Moura Franco, Rodrigo Ribeiro de Oliveira and Cristina Maria Nunes Cabral

Prevalence and comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder in Spain: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder characterised by impaired social interaction and communication, and restrictive and repetitive behaviour. Previous systematic reviews have tra...

Authors: Ferrán Catalá-López, Manuel Ridao, Isabel Hurtado, Amparo Núñez-Beltrán, Ricard Gènova-Maleras, Adolfo Alonso-Arroyo, Aurelio Tobías, Rafael Aleixandre-Benavent, Miguel A. Catalá and Rafael Tabarés-Seisdedos

Acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain: protocol of a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can be effective in treating chronic pain. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of ACT, uncertainties remain regarding which subgroups in the chronic pain popul...

Authors: Jiaxi Lin, Whitney Scott, Lewis Carpenter, Sam Norton, Matthias Domhardt, Harald Baumeister and Lance M. McCracken

Immunotherapy with check-point inhibitors (CPI) in adult malignancies: a protocol for the systematic review of the quality of economic analyses

Immuno-oncology, and in particular, check-point inhibitors (CPIs), have led to a paradigm shift in the field of cancer care. The cost of new drug development is high, and many novel agents in oncology are sign...

Authors: Ying Wang, Pierre Camateros, Denise Smith, David Dawe and Peter Ellis

Naloxone interventions in opioid overdoses: a systematic review protocol

North America is in the midst of an unabated opioid overdose epidemic due to the increasing non-medical use of fentanyl and ultra-potent opioids. Naloxone is an effective antidote to opioid toxicity, yet its o...

Authors: Lindsay Victoria Shaw, Jessica Moe, Roy Purssell, Jane A. Buxton, Jesse Godwin, Mary M. Doyle-Waters, Penelope M. A. Brasher, Jeffrey P. Hau, Jason Curran and Corinne M. Hohl

Protocol for a systematic review of randomized trials of knee arthroplasty decision aids and shared decision-making approaches

Shared decision-making is an approach to making treatment-based decisions that rely on the patient encounter and clear discussions between the patient and the healthcare provider. Patients with arthritis of th...

Authors: Daniel L. Riddle, Trisha Sando, Talicia Tarver, James Slover, Robert A. Perera, Rafael Sierra, Juan P. Brito and Victor M. Montori

Development of a program theory for clinical pathways in hospitals: protocol for a realist review

Despite the increased utilization of clinical pathways (CPWs) as a strategy to improve patient and system outcomes in hospitals, there remain ongoing challenges with their conceptualization, implementation, an...

Authors: Adegboyega K. Lawal, Gary Groot, Donna Goodridge, Shannon Scott and Leigh Kinsman

Telemedicine infectious diseases consultations and clinical outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Telemedicine use is increasing in many specialties, but its impact on clinical outcomes in infectious diseases has not been systematically studied and reviewed. The proposed systematic review will evaluate the...

Authors: Jason P. Burnham, Stephanie A. Fritz, Lauren H. Yaeger and Graham A. Colditz

Living alone and positive mental health: a systematic review

Living alone has become more common in today’s societies. Despite the high number of the population living alone, research directed towards the mental wellbeing issues related to living alone has been limited....

Authors: Nina Tamminen, Tarja Kettunen, Tuija Martelin, Jaakko Reinikainen and Pia Solin

Protocol for a scoping review of age-related health conditions among geriatric populations in sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Keshena Naidoo and Jacqueline van Wyk

Efficacy of commercially available biological agents for the topical treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: a systematic review

Cervical cancer is a major public health issue in the world, especially in developing countries. It can be prevented through vaccination against HPV (primary prevention) and through screening and treatment of ...

Authors: Alex Baleka Mutombo, Cindy Simoens, Rahma Tozin, Johannes Bogers, Jean-Pierre Van Geertruyden and Yves Jacquemyn

Predictors of 1-year mortality in adult lung transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Upon surviving the first year post-lung transplantation, recipients can expect a median survival of 8 years. Within the first year, graft failure and multi-organ failure (possibly secondary to graft failure) a...

Authors: Farid Foroutan, Gordon Guyatt, Erik Friesen, Luis Enrique Colunga Lozano, Aman Sidhu and Maureen Meade

Effectiveness of whey protein supplements on the serum levels of amino acid, creatinine kinase and myoglobin of athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Consuming whey protein supplements, along with physiotherapy and psychotherapy, have been recognised in sports performance. Whey protein supplements (WPS) is one of the commonly used supplements as ergogenic a...

Authors: Fui-Ching Lam, Tahir Mehmood Khan, Hani Faidah, Abdul Haseeb and Amer Hayat Khan

Study-based registers reduce waste in systematic reviewing: discussion and case report

Maintained study-based registers (SBRs) have, at their core, study records linked to, potentially, multiple other records such as references, data sets, standard texts and full-text reports. Such registers can...

Authors: Farhad Shokraneh and Clive E. Adams

Individual participant data (IPD)-level meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials among dark-skinned populations to estimate the dietary requirement for vitamin D

Estimation of the dietary requirements for vitamin D is crucial from a public health perspective in providing a framework for the prevention of vitamin D deficiency. It has been shown that pooling individual p...

Authors: Kevin D. Cashman and Christian Ritz

Epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for psychosocial problems in patients and families affected by non-intellectually impairing craniofacial malformation conditions: a systematic review protocol of qualitative data

Physical attractiveness or unattractiveness wields a tremendous impact on the social and psychological components of life. Many individuals with facial deformities are treated more negatively than normal indiv...

Authors: Mikaela I. Poling and Craig R. Dufresne

Mesenchymal stem cells for sensorineural hearing loss: protocol for a systematic review of preclinical studies

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common form of hearing impairment and is characterized by a loss of receptor hair cells and/or spiral ganglion neurons. Regenerative stem cell therapy could potent...

Authors: Kevin T. Chorath, Matthew J. Willis, Nicolas Morton-Gonzaba, Walter J. Humann and Alvaro Moreira

Does stage of illness influence recovery-focused outcomes after psychological treatment in bipolar disorder? A systematic review protocol

There is great interest in the possibility that ‘stage of illness’ moderates treatment outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). Much remains unknown about the construct of stage of illness, but there is evidence tha...

Authors: Hailey Tremain, Kathryn Fletcher, Jan Scott, Carla McEnery, Michael Berk and Greg Murray

Psychological interventions for people with psychotic experiences: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Many people who have common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, also have some psychotic experiences. These experiences are associated with higher clinical complexity, poor treatment response, an...

Authors: Emma Soneson, Debra Russo, Clare Knight, Louise Lafortune, Margaret Heslin, Jan Stochl, Alex Georgiadis, Julieta Galante, Robbie Duschinsky, Nick Grey, Leticia Gonzalez-Blanco, Juliet Couche, Michelle Griffiths, Hannah Murray, Nesta Reeve, Joanne Hodgekins…

Experiential learning for primary healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

Improving the quality of primary healthcare services is one of the global health priorities. Literature shows that the incompetency of healthcare providers has the potential to negatively affect the quality of...

Authors: Nkosinothando Chamane, Desmond Kuupiel and Tivani Phosa Mashamba-Thompson

Epidemiology of respiratory viral infections in people with acute respiratory tract infections in Africa: the VARIAFRICA systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Better characterisation of the epidemiological data on respiratory viral infections among people with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) can help to implement efficient strategies to curb the burden of A...

Authors: Sebastien Kenmoe, Jean Joel Bigna, Abdou Fatawou Modiyinji, Fredy Brice N. Simo and Richard Njouom

Decision aids that facilitate elements of shared decision making in chronic illnesses: a systematic review

Shared decision making (SDM) is a patient-centered approach in which clinicians and patients work together to find and choose the best course of action for each patient’s particular situation. Six SDM key elem...

Authors: Thomas H. Wieringa, Rene Rodriguez-Gutierrez, Gabriela Spencer-Bonilla, Maartje de Wit, Oscar J. Ponce, Manuel F. Sanchez-Herrera, Nataly R. Espinoza, Yaara Zisman-Ilani, Marleen Kunneman, Linda J. Schoonmade, Victor M. Montori and Frank J. Snoek

Epidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection in animals in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the major causes of acute hepatitis in humans worldwide with a case-fatality rate of 1–4% in the general population that might reach 30% in pregnant women. In the past decade ...

Authors: Abdou Fatawou Modiyinji, Jean Joel Bigna, Fredy Brice N. Simo, Moise Nola, Marie S. Ndangang, Sebastien Kenmoe and Richard Njouom

Experiential peer support and its effects on desistance from delinquent behavior: protocol paper for a systematic realist literature review

Experiential peers are increasingly involved in the development and delivery of interventions for individuals who are engaged in delinquent behavior. Experiential peer support, which is the provision of suppor...

Authors: Margriet Lenkens, Frank J. van Lenthe, Loïs Schenk, Tessa Magnée, Miranda Sentse, Sabine Severiens, Godfried Engbersen and Gera E. Nagelhout

Anticonvulsants for behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia: protocol for a systematic review

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are present in a majority of patients with dementia contributing to increased morbidity, health care costs, and caregiver burden. While there are no Uni...

Authors: Sophiya Benjamin, John W. Williams Jr, Cecilia Cotton, Jennifer Tung, Howard An, Stephanie Sanger and Joanne Man-Wai Ho

Using mobile phones to improve young people’s sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol to identify barriers, facilitators and reported interventions

Due to a growing reliance on mobile phone technology and decreasing mobile phone costs, the use of mobile phones is on the rise, especially among the youth population. Young people are responsive and enthusias...

Authors: Anam Feroz, Farina Abrejo, Sumera Aziz Ali, Rozina Nuruddin and Sarah Saleem

The effects of exercise on cardiometabolic outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome not taking the oral contraceptive pill: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy, affecting 4–12% of reproductive-aged women. Women with PCOS often exhibit many metabolic abnormalities that are associated with an increased ...

Authors: Amie Woodward, Markos Klonizakis, Ian Lahart, Anouska Carter, Caroline Dalton, Mostafa Metwally and David Broom

Predisposing and protective factors influencing suicide ideation, attempt, and death in patients accessing substance use treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

The lifetime risk of suicide in patients with substance use disorder is five to ten times the risk in the general population. Critically, up to 19% of patients continue to think about and attempt suicide even ...

Authors: S. Espinet, T. Corrin, D. Baliunas, L. Quilty, L. Zawertailo, S. J. Rizvi, W. deRuiter, S. Bonato, V. De Luca, S. Kennedy and P. Selby

Is a fusobacterium nucleatum infection in the colon a risk factor for colorectal cancer?: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Despite a considerable amount of epidemiological research for identification of risk factors involved in the development of colorectal cancer, the current understanding of the etiology of this disease remains ...

Authors: Amal Idrissi Janati, Igor Karp, Hisham Sabri and Elham Emami

Effects of school-based interventions on motivation towards physical activity in children and adolescents: protocol for a systematic review

Recent studies have observed low levels of physical activity in children and adolescents worldwide. Physical activity interventions are increasingly carried out to counteract this development. The school envir...

Authors: Yolanda Demetriou, Anne K. Reimers, Marianna Alesi, Lidia Scifo, Carla Chicau Borrego, Diogo Monteiro and Anne Kelso

Medication adherence influencing factors—an (updated) overview of systematic reviews

Non-adherence negatively affects the efficacy, safety and costs of therapies. Non-adherence is a multifactorial problem. This systematic review (SR) of SRs (overview) aims to identify factors that can influenc...

Authors: Alina Gast and Tim Mathes

Factors influencing perceptions of private water quality in North America: a systematic review

An estimated four million and 43 million people in Canada and the USA use private water supplies. Private water supplies are vulnerable to waterborne disease outbreaks. Private water supplies in Canada and the...

Authors: Abraham Munene and David C. Hall

Demographic and risk group heterogeneity across the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Despite policies for universal HIV testing and treatment (UTT) regardless of CD4 count, there are still 1.8 million new HIV infections and 1 million AIDS-related deaths annually. The UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals targ...

Authors: Dylan Green, Brenda Kharono, Diana M. Tordoff, Adam Akullian, Anna Bershteyn, Michelle Morrison, Geoff Garnett, Ann Duerr and Paul Drain

Evaluation of the impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms on treatment response, survival and toxicity with cytarabine and anthracyclines in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia: a systematic review protocol

Acute myeloid leukaemia is the most common type of acute leukaemia in the world. Thus, the study of genetic alterations, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), has contributed to a better understandin...

Authors: Taynah Cascaes Puty, Jonathan Souza Sarraf, Tabata Cristina Do Carmo Almeida, Valter Cordeiro Barbosa Filho, Luis Eduardo Werneck de Carvalho, Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca and Fernando Adami

The effect of acute stress on salivary markers of inflammation: a systematic review protocol

There is an increasing interest in the ability to non-invasively assess biological markers of stress. Measures of inflammation following exposure to acute stress have been assessed in saliva, but a systematic ...

Authors: Danica C. Slavish and Yvette Z. Szabo

School factors related to the emotional wellbeing and resettlement outcomes of students from refugee backgrounds: protocol for a systematic review

Schools can play a vital role in the resettlement of refugee children and their families. Yet, the body of research examining school environmental factors that support the mental health and acculturation of re...

Authors: Deserae Horswood, Jess Baker, Mina Fazel, Susan Rees, Linda Heslop and Derrick Silove

Correction to: Systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy of detection of any level of diabetic retinopathy using digital retinal imaging

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in Fig. 4 in the PDF version. Figure 4 is the duplicate image of Fig. 3 and the correct figure is missing. The authors would lik...

Authors: Mapa Mudiyanselage Prabhath Nishantha Piyasena, Gudlavalleti Venkata S. Murthy, Jennifer L. Y. Yip, Clare Gilbert, Tunde Peto, Iris Gordon, Suwin Hewage and Sureshkumar Kamalakannan

The effects of aerobic, resistance, and meditative movement exercise on sleep in individuals with depression: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

The main objective of this review is to assess the effects of aerobic, resistance, and meditative movement exercise on sleep quality in patients with unipolar depression. A secondary goal is to ascertain the e...

Authors: Gavin Brupbacher, Heike Gerger, Monika Wechsler, Thea Zander-Schellenberg, Doris Straus, Hildburg Porschke, Markus Gerber, Roland von Känel and Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss

Examining the mental health outcomes of peer-led school-based interventions on young people aged between 4 and 18 years old: a systematic review protocol

Recent estimates suggest that one in ten young people worldwide experiences a diagnosable mental health disorder, with many more suffering subsyndromal levels of psychological distress. As young people spend m...

Authors: Thomas King and Mina Fazel

Neonatal mortality in Ethiopia: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

A child’s risk of dying is highest in the neonatal period, i.e. the first 28 days of life. Newborn death accounts for nearly half of under-five death. More than 80% of newborn deaths are the result of preventa...

Authors: Tesfalidet Tekelab, Mohammed Akibu, Negash Tagesse, Temesgen Tilhaun, Yosef Yohanes and Smriti Nepal

Communication strategies for rare cancers: a systematic review protocol

Rare cancers comprise almost a quarter of all cancers in Europe, and patients generally have poorer outcomes than those suffering from more common cancers. This is attributed in part to a general lack of knowl...

Authors: Catherine Bell, Katie Kerr, Kerry Moore, Charlene McShane, Lesley Anderson, Amy Jayne McKnight and Helen McAneney