Guidance to best tools and practices for systematic reviews

Table 3.2 Comparison of AMSTAR-2 and ROBIS

Characteristic	AMSTAR-2	ROBIS
Access	https://amstar.ca/Amstar-2.php	http://www.bristol.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/projects/robis/robis-tool/
User guidance	Extensive	Extensive
Review type applicability	Intervention	Intervention, diagnostic, etiology, prognostic^a
Number of domains	7 critical, 9 non-critical	4
Items
Total number	16	29
Response options	Items # 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 16: rated yes or no Items # 2, 4, 7, 8, 9^b: rated yes, partial yes, or no Items # 11^b, 12, 15: rated yes, partial yes, no, or no meta-analysis	24 assessment items: rated yes, probably yes, no information, probably no, or no 5 items regarding level of concern: rated low, high, or unclear
Overall rating
Construct	Confidence based on weaknesses in critical domains	Level of concern for risk of bias
Categories	High, moderate, low, critically low	Low, high, unclear

^aROBIS includes an optional first phase to assess the applicability of the review to the research question of interest. The tool may be applicable to other review types in addition to the four specified, although modification of this initial phase will be needed (Personal Communication via email, Penny Whiting, 28 Jan 2022)
^bAMSTAR-2 item #9 and #11 require separate responses for RCTs and NRSI

ISSN: 2046-4053