From: Systematic review adherence to methodological or reporting quality
Item assessed | Item description | No. of reports reporting adherence by item | Adhering SRs | Total SRs | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title | Identify the report as a systematic review | 6 | 133 | 449 | 30 |
Abstract | Use a structured format | 6 | 402 | 449 | 90 |
Describe the clinical question explicitly | 6 | 341 | 449 | 76 | |
Describe the databases (i.e., list) and other information sources | 6 | 335 | 449 | 75 | |
Describe the selection criteria (i.e., population, intervention, outcome, and study design), methods for validity assessment, data abstraction, and study characteristics, and quantitative data synthesis in sufficient detail to permit replication | 5 | 177 | 388 | 46 | |
Describe characteristics of the RCTs included and excluded; qualitative and quantitative findings (i.e., point estimates and confidence intervals); and subgroup analyses | 5 | 180 | 388 | 46 | |
Describe the main results | 6 | 425 | 449 | 95 | |
Introduction: rationale | Describe the explicit clinical problem, biological rationale for the intervention, and rationale for review | 6 | 382 | 449 | 85 |
Search | Describe the information sources, in detail (e.g., databases, registers, personal files, expert informants, agencies, hand-searching), and any restrictions (years considered, publication status, language of publication) | 5 | 274 | 388 | 71 |
Study selection | Describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria (defining population, intervention, principal outcomes, and study design) | 6 | 417 | 449 | 93 |
Data collection process | Data extraction: describe the process or processes used (e.g., completed independently, in duplicate) | 6 | 363 | 449 | 81 |
Data items | Describe the type of study design, participants’ characteristics, details of intervention, outcome definitions, and how clinical heterogeneity was assessed | 6 | 316 | 449 | 70 |
Risk of bias in individual studies | Validity assessment: describe the criteria and process used (e.g., masked conditions, quality assessment, and their findings) | 6 | 240 | 449 | 54 |
Synthesis of results | Describe the principal measures of effect (e.g., relative risk), method of combining results (statistical testing and confidence intervals), handling of missing data; how statistical heterogeneity was assessed; a rationale for any a priori sensitivity and subgroup analyses; and any assessment of publication bias | 5 | 219 | 388 | 56 |
Results: study selection | Provide a meta-analysis profile summarizing trial flow | 6 | 40 | 449 | 9 |
Study characteristics | Present descriptive data for each trial (e.g., age, sample size, intervention, dose, duration, follow-up period) | 6 | 384 | 449 | 86 |
Results of individual studies | Report agreement on the selection and validity assessment; present simple summary results (for each treatment group in each trial, for each primary outcome); present data needed to calculate effect sizes and confidence intervals in intention-to-treat analyses (e.g., 2 × 2 tables of counts, means and SDs, proportions) | 5 | 213 | 388 | 55 |
Discussion: summary of evidence | Summarize key findings; discuss clinical inferences based on internal and external validity; interpret the results in light of the totality of available evidence; describe potential biases in the review process (e.g., publication bias); and suggest a future research agenda | 5 | 265 | 388 | 68 |