Articles

How to properly use the PRISMA Statement

Authors: Rafael Sarkis-Onofre, Ferrán Catalá-López, Edoardo Aromataris and Craig Lockwood

LOCATE: a prospective evaluation of the value of Leveraging Ongoing Citation Acquisition Techniques for living Evidence syntheses

Living systematic reviews (LSRs) can expedite evidence synthesis by incorporating new evidence in real time. However, the methods needed to identify new studies in a timely manner are not well established.

Authors: Michelle Gates, Sarah A. Elliott, Allison Gates, Meghan Sebastianski, Jennifer Pillay, Liza Bialy and Lisa Hartling

Establishing a comprehensive search strategy for Indigenous health literature reviews

Appropriate search strategies are essential to ensure the integrity and reproducibility of systematic and scoping reviews, as researchers seek to capture as many relevant resources as possible. In the case of ...

Authors: Louise Harding, Caterina J. Marra and Judy Illes

Exploring the challenges and features of implementing performance-based payment plan in hospitals: a protocol for a systematic review

Implementing performance-based payment (PBP) plan has led to developing a number of significant potentialities such as performance improvement and effectiveness, quality improvement of provided services, and d...

Authors: Asieh Mousaloo, Mehrdad Amir-Behghadami, Ali Janati and Masoumeh Gholizadeh

Mapping evidence on the distribution of the costs associated with cancer of prostate, cervix, and female breast in the sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a scoping review

Despite the well-documented information on cancer prevention and management, among noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), globally, cancer continues to be the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality with dev...

Authors: Cebisile Ngcamphalala, Ellinor Ostensson, Mbuzeleni Hlongwa and Themba G. Ginindza

The REPRISE project: protocol for an evaluation of REProducibility and Replicability In Syntheses of Evidence

Investigations of transparency, reproducibility and replicability in science have been directed largely at individual studies. It is just as critical to explore these issues in syntheses of studies, such as sy...

Authors: Matthew J. Page, David Moher, Fiona M. Fidler, Julian P. T. Higgins, Sue E. Brennan, Neal R. Haddaway, Daniel G. Hamilton, Raju Kanukula, Sathya Karunananthan, Lara J. Maxwell, Steve McDonald, Shinichi Nakagawa, David Nunan, Peter Tugwell, Vivian A. Welch and Joanne E. McKenzie

The clinical effects of cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring (NIRS) versus no monitoring: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Multiple clinical conditions are associated with cerebral hypoxia/ischaemia and thereby an increased risk of hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring (NIRS) is a tool to m...

Authors: Mathias Lühr Hansen, Simon Hyttel-Sørensen, Janus Christian Jakobsen, Christian Gluud, Elisabeth M. W. Kooi, Jonathan Mintzer, Willem P. de Boode, Monica Fumagalli, Ana Alarcon, Thomas Alderliesten and Gorm Greisen

The effectiveness of supplemental oxygen during exercise training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who show severe exercise-induced desaturation: a protocol for a meta-regression analysis and systematic review

Supplemental oxygen during exercise training is used to increase the training effect of an exercise program in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who show exercise-induced desaturation....

Authors: Shohei Kawachi, Shuhei Yamamoto, Kenichi Nishie, Takayoshi Yamaga, Manaka Shibuya, Yasunari Sakai and Keisaku Fujimoto

Mapping evidence on the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on the hard and soft tissues of the craniofacial complex in transgender people: a protocol for a scoping review

Gender-affirming hormone (GAH) therapy aims to support the transition of transgender people to their gender identity. GAHs can induce changes in their secondary sex characteristics such as the development of b...

Authors: M. F. Van den Bosch, C. M. Wiepjes, M. Den Heijer, L. J. Schoonmade, R. E. G. Jonkman and R. A. Meursinge Reynders

Mapping evidence on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancer research in Africa: a scoping review protocol

Globally, cancer is generally recognized as a developmental threat yet most countries in Africa lack capacity to diagnose cancer especially gynecological cancers resulting in late detection and poor outcomes. ...

Authors: Sebastian Yidana Ninimiya, Monica Ansu-Mensah, Vitalis Bawontuo and Desmond Kuupiel

Disparities and interventions in the timeliness of endometrial cancer diagnosis and treatment in the United States: a scoping review protocol

Disparities in the stage at diagnosis of endometrial cancer (EC) account for a significant proportion of the disparities in morbidity and mortality experienced by vulnerable groups in the USA. Evidence suggest...

Authors: Anna J. Najor, Dyda Dao, Jamie N. Bakkum-Gamez, Mark E. Sherman, Avonne E. Connor and Christopher C. Destephano

Effectiveness of community-based interventions for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a study protocol for a systematic review

Schizophrenia requires a community-based intervention approach combined with standard treatment to prevent relapses. A literature review is required to understand the effectiveness of community-based intervent...

Authors: Soo-Yeon Kim and Ah. Rim Kim

Self-efficacy of direct care workers providing care to older people in residential aged care settings: a scoping review protocol

Self-efficacy is developed through a person’s interaction with his/her physical and social environment. Self-efficacy in caring is an essential attribute of care workers to develop a positive attitude towards ...

Authors: Sumina Shrestha, Rayan Jafnan M. Alharbi, Christine While, Julie Ellis, Muhammad Aziz Rahman and Yvonne Wells

Economic evaluation of diagnostic sleep studies for obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review protocol

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a significant public health problem affecting a large proportion of the population and is associated with adverse health consequences and a substantial economic burden. Despit...

Authors: Andrea N. Natsky, Andrew Vakulin, Ching Li Chai Coetzer, R. D. McEvoy, Robert J. Adams and Billingsley Kaambwa

The informed consent process in health research with under-served populations: a realist review protocol

The informed consent process aims to provide potential participants with information about health research that enables them to make an informed decision as to whether they choose to participate, or not. Howev...

Authors: Eleanor Hoverd, Sophie Staniszewska and Jeremy Dale

The impact of different preanalytical methods related to CA 15-3 determination in frozen human blood samples: a systematic review

The determination of CA 15-3 is useful for monitoring breast cancer patients. Several retrospective studies determined CA 15-3 levels in frozen samples to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of novel biom...

Authors: Luigi Coppola, Alessandra Cianflone, Katia Pane, Monica Franzese, Peppino Mirabelli and Marco Salvatore

The incubation period during the pandemic of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of our study was to determine through a systematic review and meta-analysis the incubation period of COVID-19. It was conducted based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-an...

Authors: Wafa Dhouib, Jihen Maatoug, Imen Ayouni, Nawel Zammit, Rim Ghammem, Sihem Ben Fredj and Hassen Ghannem

Adolescent alcohol consumption: protocol for a scoping review of screening and assessment tools used in Africa

Alcohol consumption is a key public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest burden of alcohol attributable injury and disease of any region. Excess alcohol use is particularly harmful for...

Authors: Eleanor Briegal, Alice M. Biggane and Angela I. Obasi

Reporting quality of clinical practice guidelines regarding gout and hyperuricemia according to the RIGHT checklist: systematic review

The Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) checklist was used to assess the reporting quality of 2009–2019 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) regarding gout and hyperuricemia, aimed to ...

Authors: Can Wang, Xufei Luo, Maichao Li, Lingling Cui, Xinde Li, Lin Han, Xuefeng Wang, Wei Ren, Yuwei He, Wenyan Sun, Changgui Li, Yaolong Chen and Zhen Liu

Successful incorporation of single reviewer assessments during systematic review screening: development and validation of sensitivity and work-saved of an algorithm that considers exclusion criteria and count

Accepted systematic review (SR) methodology requires citation screening by two reviewers to maximise retrieval of eligible studies. We hypothesized that records could be excluded by a single reviewer without l...

Authors: Nassr Nama, Mirna Hennawy, Nick Barrowman, Katie O’Hearn, Margaret Sampson and James Dayre McNally

Iterative guided machine learning-assisted systematic literature reviews: a diabetes case study

Systematic Reviews (SR), studies of studies, use a formal process to evaluate the quality of scientific literature and determine ensuing effectiveness from qualifying articles to establish consensus findings a...

Authors: John Zimmerman, Robin E. Soler, James Lavinder, Sarah Murphy, Charisma Atkins, LaShonda Hulbert, Richard Lusk and Boon Peng Ng

Effectiveness and safety of low-level laser therapy in diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus. The main symptoms of DPN include numbness or pain in both extremities and paresthesia (such as formica...

Authors: Lin Lin, Jingjing Li, Jingshan Lin, Shiheng Tang and Yuxia Li

Effect of gut microbiota modulation on feeding tolerance of enterally fed critically ill adult patients: a systematic review

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of pre-, pro-, and synbiotics on feeding tolerance of enterally fed critically ill adult patients.

Authors: Najmeh Seifi, Ali Jafarzadeh Esfahani, Alireza Sedaghat, Reza Rezvani, Majid Khadem-Rezaiyan, Mohsen Nematy and Mohammad Safarian

Effectiveness of personal letters to healthcare professionals in changing professional behaviours: a systematic review protocol

Letters are regularly sent by healthcare organisations to healthcare professionals to encourage them to take action, change practice or implement guidance. However, whether letters are an effective tool in del...

Authors: Aikaterini Grimani, Louis Goffe, Mei Yee Tang, Fiona Beyer, Falko F. Sniehotta and Ivo Vlaev

Research Screener: a machine learning tool to semi-automate abstract screening for systematic reviews

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses provide the highest level of evidence to help inform policy and practice, yet their rigorous nature is associated with significant time and economic demands. The screening ...

Authors: Kevin E. K. Chai, Robin L. J. Lines, Daniel F. Gucciardi and Leo Ng

The role of pharmacy in the management of cardiometabolic risk, metabolic syndrome and related diseases in severe mental illness: a mixed-methods systematic literature review

Individuals with severe mental illness, e.g. schizophrenia have up to a 20% shortened life expectancy compared to the general population. Cardiovascular disease, due to cardiometabolic risk and metabolic syndr...

Authors: Dolly Sud, Eileen Laughton, Robyn McAskill, Eleanor Bradley and Ian Maidment

Bayesian statistics in the design and analysis of cluster randomised controlled trials and their reporting quality: a methodological systematic review

In a cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT), randomisation units are “clusters” such as schools or GP practices. This has methodological implications for study design and statistical analysis, since cluste...

Authors: Benjamin G. Jones, Adam J. Streeter, Amy Baker, Rana Moyeed and Siobhan Creanor

Modes of transmission and attack rates of group A Streptococcal infection: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity globally. This bacterium is responsible for a range of different infections and post-infectious sequelae. Summarising the current k...

Authors: Dylan D. Barth, Jessica Daw, Ruomei Xu, Stephanie Enkel, Janessa Pickering, Tracy McRae, Mark E. Engel, Jonathan Carapetis, Rosemary Wyber and Asha C. Bowen

The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews

Authors: Matthew J. Page, Joanne E. McKenzie, Patrick M. Bossuyt, Isabelle Boutron, Tammy C. Hoffmann, Cynthia D. Mulrow, Larissa Shamseer, Jennifer M. Tetzlaff, Elie A. Akl, Sue E. Brennan, Roger Chou, Julie Glanville, Jeremy M. Grimshaw, Asbjørn Hróbjartsson, Manoj M. Lalu, Tianjing Li…

Interventions for adolescent alcohol consumption in Africa: protocol for a scoping review including an overview of reviews

Harmful alcohol use is a leading risk to the health of populations worldwide. Within Africa, where most consumers are adolescents, alcohol use represents a key public health challenge. Interventions to prevent...

Authors: Alice M. Biggane, Eleanor Briegal and Angela Obasi

Normative beliefs and values that shape care-seeking behaviours for skilled birth attendance (SBA) during birthing by mothers in Africa: a scoping review protocol

Skilled birth attendance (SBA) during delivery has been associated with improved maternal health outcome. However, low utilisation of SBA during childbirth has continued in many developing countries including Z.....

Authors: Choolwe Jacobs and Adnan A. Hyder

Sexual dysfunction in men with multiple sclerosis

Authors: Lisa B. Grech, Michelle Allan and Barbora de Courten

Effects of pollution on adolescent mental health: a systematic review protocol

Whilst there is little uncertainty about the deleterious impact of pollution on human and planetary health, pollution’s impact on adolescent mental health is less well understood. This is particularly true for...

Authors: Linda C. Theron, Yael Abreu-Villaça, Marcus Augusto-Oliveira, Caroline H. Brennan, Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez, Gabriela de Paula Arrifano, Lilah Glazer, Liyuan Lin, Isabelle Mareschal, Luke Sartori, Liesl Stieger, Andres Trotta and Kristin Hadfield

Biomechanical adaptation to post-stroke visual field loss: a systematic review

Homonymous visual field defects represent the most frequent type of visual field loss after stroke, affecting nearly 30% of individuals with unilateral post-chiasmal brain damage. This review aimed to gather t...

Authors: Adel Elfeky, Kristiaan D’Août, Rebecca Lawson, Lauren R. Hepworth, Nicholas D. A. Thomas, Abigail Clynch and Fiona J. Rowe

Frailty inclusive care in acute and community-based settings: a systematic review protocol

Frailty is a known risk factor for an array of adverse outcomes including more frequent and prolonged health services use and high health care costs. Aging of the population has implications for care provision...

Authors: Carmel L. Montgomery, Gareth Hopkin, Sean M. Bagshaw, Erin Hessey and Darryl B. Rolfson

Why do some inter-organisational collaborations in healthcare work when others do not? A realist review

Inter-organisational collaboration is increasingly prominent within contemporary healthcare systems. A range of collaboration types such as alliances, networks, and mergers have been proposed as a means to tur...

Authors: Justin Avery Aunger, Ross Millar, Joanne Greenhalgh, Russell Mannion, Anne-Marie Rafferty and Hugh McLeod

Community-based educational interventions for prevention of type II diabetes: a global systematic review and meta-analysis

Our objective was to estimate the change in community-based education interventions throughout the world that may effectuate in risk parameters of type II diabetes (T2D), including the diabetes incidence rate,...

Authors: Tayebeh Shirvani, Zeinab Javadivala, Somayeh Azimi, Abdolreza Shaghaghi, Zahra Fathifar, H. D. R. Devender Bhalla, Mohammadhiwa Abdekhoda and Haidar Nadrian

The effect of age on the incidence of COVID-19 complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, and the pandemic was spread to more than 212 countries in the globe. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled inci...

Authors: Sofonyas Abebaw Tiruneh, Zemenu Tadese Tesema, Melkalem Mamuye Azanaw and Dessie Abebaw Angaw

Does propofol ameliorate occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction after general anaesthesia? A protocol of systematic review

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common condition after general anesthesia (GA). Previous studies have reported that propofol can ameliorate the occurrence of such disorder. However, its results...

Authors: Xi Zhao and Ze-qing Huang

Are mental disorders related to disbelief in free will? A systematic review

The nature and existence of free will have been debated for centuries. Since some psychiatric disorders are known to interfere with one’s ability to control their actions and thoughts (e.g., schizophrenia), th...

Authors: Maria E. Moreira-de-Oliveira, Gabriela B. de Menezes, Samara dos Santos-Ribeiro, Luana D. Laurito, Ana P. Ribeiro, Adrian Carter and Leonardo F. Fontenelle

Direct and indirect evidence of efficacy and safety of rapid exercise tests for exertional desaturation in Covid-19: a rapid systematic review

Even when resting pulse oximetry is normal in the patient with acute Covid-19, hypoxia can manifest on exertion. We summarise the literature on the performance of different rapid tests for exertional desaturat...

Authors: Asli Kalin, Babak Javid, Matthew Knight, Matt Inada-Kim and Trisha Greenhalgh

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation in children and young people with psychiatric disorders: a protocol for a systematic review

Most psychiatric disorders have their onset in childhood or adolescence, and if not fully treated have the potential for causing life-long psycho-social and physical sequelae. Effective psychotherapeutic and m...

Authors: Yael D. Lewis, Lucy Gallop, Iain C. Campbell and Ulrike Schmidt

Social marketing-based interventions to promote healthy nutrition behaviors: a systematic review protocol

Diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rapidly increasing worldwide and constitute one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Improving population diets can play an important role in prev...

Authors: Azam Doustmohammadian and Marjan Bazhan

Health insurance coverage and access to child and maternal health services in West Africa: a study protocol for a systematic review

Though many studies have discussed the impact of health insurance on access to medical services, few have considered Western Africa. Despite decades of targeted efforts, West Africa has the most elevated mater...

Authors: Joshua Dadjo, Olumuyiwa Omonaiye and Sanni Yaya

A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol examining the clinical characteristics and epidemiological features of olfactory dysfunction (OD) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused recurring and major outbreaks in multiple human populations around the world. The plethora of clinical presentations of severe acute respiratory synd...

Authors: Rosemond Qian-Xiu Tan, Wai Tak Victor Li, Wing-Zi Shum, Sheung Chit Chu, Hang-Long Li, Yat-Fung Shea and Tom Wai-Hin Chung

The complex relationship between estrogen and migraines: a scoping review

Migraines are a chronic disease for millions worldwide and have been hypothesized to be hormonally mediated due to their higher prevalence in females and menstrual associations. Estrogen has been commonly impl...

Authors: Nihaal Reddy, Miraj N. Desai, Anna Schoenbrunner, Steven Schneeberger and Jeffrey E. Janis

P value and Bayesian analysis in randomized-controlled trials in child health research published over 10 years, 2007 to 2017: a methodological review protocol

There is an unresolved debate about the reliability of the interpretation of P value. Some investigators have suggested that an alternative Bayesian method is preferred in conducting health research. As randomize...

Authors: Alex Aregbesola, Allison Gates, Amanda Coyle, Shannon Sim, Ben Vandermeer, Megan Skakum, Despina Contopoulos-Ioannidis, Anna Heath, Lisa Hartling and Terry P. Klassen

The effectiveness of manual therapy applied to craniomandibular structures in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders: protocol for a systematic review

The term temporomandibular disorder (TMD) includes disorders of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), masticatory muscles and adjacent tissues. Several studies have examined the effectiveness of manual therapy (...

Authors: Giacomo Asquini, Alison Rushton, Laurent Pitance, Nicola Heneghan and Deborah Falla

Midazolam for sedation before procedures in adults and children: a systematic review update

Midazolam is used for sedation before diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures by several routes including oral, intravenous, intranasal and intramuscular. This is an update of a Cochrane review published...

Authors: Aaron Conway, Kristina Chang, Sebastian Mafeld and Joanna Sutherland

Effects of psychosocial interventions among people cared for in emergency departments after a suicide attempt: a systematic review protocol

The care of the emergency department (ED) for a person after a suicide attempt can act as a protector against future suicidal behavior. For this reason, it is essential that the ED ensure an assistance that in...

Authors: Ana Paula Coutinho da Silva, Margarida Rangel Henriques, Inês Areal Rothes, Tiago Zortea, José Carlos Santos and Pim Cuijpers