Hospitalization risks associated with floods in a multi-country study.

Floods of unprecedented intensity and frequency have been observed. However, evidence regarding the impacts of floods on hospitalization remains limited. Here we collected daily hospitalization counts during 2000-2019 from 747 communities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Interrupted time series datasets from studies investigating the impact of interventions or exposures in public health and social science: a data note.

Objectives: The interrupted time series (ITS) design is commonly used to investigate the impact of an intervention or exposure in public health. There are many statistical methods that can be used to analyse ITS data and to meta-analyse their results. We undertook two empirical studies to investigate: (i) how effect estimates (and associated statistics) compared when six statistical methods were applied to 190 real-world datasets; and (ii) how meta-analysis effect estimates (and associated statistics) compared when the combinations of two ITS analysis methods and five meta-analysis methods were applied to 17 real-world meta-analyses including 283 ITS datasets.

Update to the PRISMA guidelines for network meta-analyses and scoping reviews and development of guidelines for rapid reviews: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to develop a list of items for potential inclusion in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines for network meta-analysis (NMA), scoping reviews (ScRs), and rapid reviews (RRs).

Introduction: The PRISMA extensions for NMA and ScRs were published in 2015 and 2018. However, since then, their methodologies and innovations, including automation, have evolved.

Reporting of cluster randomised crossover trials: extension of the CONSORT 2010 statement with explanation and elaboration.

This article presents the CONSORT (consolidated standards of reporting trials) extension for cluster randomised crossover trials. A cluster randomised crossover trial involves randomisation of groups of individuals (known as clusters) to different sequences of interventions over time. The design has gained popularity in settings where cluster randomisation is required because it can largely overcome the loss in power due to clustering in parallel cluster trials.

Extension of the PRISMA 2020 statement for living systematic reviews (PRISMA-LSR): checklist and explanation.

Publications of living systematic reviews (LSRs) are increasing rapidly. Guidance facilitating transparent, complete, and accurate reporting of LSRs is needed. This paper reports the development of an extension of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement for LSRs (PRISMA-LSR).

The Banksia plot: a method for visually comparing point estimates and confidence intervals across datasets.

Objectives: In research evaluating statistical analysis methods, a common aim is to compare point estimates and CIs calculated from different analyses. This can be challenging when the outcomes (and their scale ranges) differ across datasets. We therefore developed a graphical method, the "Banksia plot", to facilitate pairwise comparisons of different statistical analysis methods by plotting and comparing point estimates and CIs from each analysis method, both within and across datasets.

The association of adverse birth outcomes with flood exposure before and during pregnancy in Australia: a cohort study.

Background: Exposure to floods might increase the risks of adverse birth outcomes. However, the current evidence is scarce, inconsistent, and has knowledge gaps. This study aims to estimate the associations of flood exposure before and during pregnancy with adverse birth outcomes and to identify susceptible exposure windows and effect modifiers.

Identification of application and interpretation errors that can occur in pairwise meta-analyses in systematic reviews of interventions: a systematic review.

Objectives: To generate a bank of items describing application and interpretation errors that can arise in pairwise meta-analyses in systematic reviews of interventions.

Study Design And Setting: MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched to identify studies describing types of errors in meta-analyses. Descriptions of errors and supporting quotes were extracted by multiple authors.

Development of a search filter to retrieve reports of interrupted time series studies from MEDLINE and PubMed.

Background: Interrupted time series (ITS) studies contribute importantly to systematic reviews of population-level interventions. We aimed to develop and validate search filters to retrieve ITS studies in MEDLINE and PubMed.

Methods: A total of 1017 known ITS studies (published 2013-2017) were analysed using text mining to generate candidate terms.

A brief note on the common (fixed)-effect meta-analysis model.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method used to combine results from multiple studies, providing a quantitative summary of their findings. One of the fundamental decisions in conducting a meta-analysis is choosing an appropriate model to estimate the overall effect size and its CI. In this article, we focus on the common-effect (also referred to as the fixed-effect) model, and in a companion article, the random-effects model.

Comparison of statistical methods used to meta-analyse results from interrupted time series studies: an empirical study.

Background: The Interrupted Time Series (ITS) is a robust design for evaluating public health and policy interventions or exposures when randomisation may be infeasible. Several statistical methods are available for the analysis and meta-analysis of ITS studies. We sought to empirically compare available methods when applied to real-world ITS data.

Investigation of bias due to selective inclusion of study effect estimates in meta-analyses of nutrition research.

We aimed to explore, in a sample of systematic reviews (SRs) with meta-analyses of the association between food/diet and health-related outcomes, whether systematic reviewers selectively included study effect estimates in meta-analyses when multiple effect estimates were available. We randomly selected SRs of food/diet and health-related outcomes published between January 2018 and June 2019. We selected the first presented meta-analysis in each review (index meta-analysis), and extracted from study reports all study effect estimates that were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis.

Variation observed in consensus judgments between pairs of reviewers when assessing the risk of bias due to missing evidence in a sample of published meta-analyses of nutrition research.

Objectives: To evaluate the risk of bias due to missing evidence in a sample of published meta-analyses of nutrition research using the Risk Of Bias due to Missing Evidence (ROB-ME) tool and determine inter-rater agreement in assessments.

Study Design And Setting: We assembled a random sample of 42 meta-analyses of nutrition research. Eight assessors were randomly assigned to one of four pairs.

Development of the InSynQ checklist: A tool for planning and reporting the synthesis questions in systematic reviews of interventions.

Introduction: Methods guidance and appraisal tools for systematic reviews require specification of the question and eligibility criteria for the review ("PICO for the review"). Less emphasis has been given to specifying the question and criteria for each synthesis ("PICO for each synthesis"), yet decisions about which studies to include in each synthesis can critically influence the utility and findings of a review. This paper describes the rationale and methods for developing the InSynQ (Intervention Synthesis Questions) tool for planning and reporting synthesis questions in reviews of interventions.

The PRISMATIC project: protocol for a research programme on novel methods to improve reporting and peer review of systematic reviews of health evidence.

Background: Incomplete reporting about what systematic reviewers did and what they found prevents users of the report from being able to fully interpret the findings and understand the limitations of the underlying evidence. Reporting guidelines such as the PRISMA statement and its extensions are designed to improve reporting. However, there are important inconsistencies across the various PRISMA reporting guidelines, which causes confusion and misinterpretation.

Mortality risks associated with floods in 761 communities worldwide: time series study.

Objective: To evaluate lag-response associations and effect modifications of exposure to floods with risks of all cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality on a global scale.

Design: Time series study.

Setting: 761 communities in 35 countries or territories with at least one flood event during the study period.

Critical elements of synthesis questions are incompletely reported: survey of systematic reviews of intervention effects.

Objectives: To examine the characteristics of population, intervention and outcome groups and the extent to which they were completely reported for each synthesis in a sample of systematic reviews (SRs) of interventions.

Study Design And Setting: We coded groups that were intended (or used) for comparisons in 100 randomly sampled SRs of public health and health systems interventions published in 2018 from the Health Evidence and Health Systems Evidence databases.

Results: Authors commonly used population, intervention and outcome groups to structure comparisons, but these groups were often incompletely reported.

Evaluation of statistical methods used to meta-analyse results from interrupted time series studies: A simulation study.

Interrupted time series (ITS) are often meta-analysed to inform public health and policy decisions but examination of the statistical methods for ITS analysis and meta-analysis in this context is limited. We simulated meta-analyses of ITS studies with continuous outcome data, analysed the studies using segmented linear regression with two estimation methods [ordinary least squares (OLS) and restricted maximum likelihood (REML)], and meta-analysed the immediate level- and slope-change effect estimates using fixed-effect and (multiple) random-effects meta-analysis methods. Simulation design parameters included varying series length; magnitude of lag-1 autocorrelation; magnitude of level- and slope-changes; number of included studies; and, effect size heterogeneity.

Effect estimates can be accurately calculated with data digitally extracted from interrupted time series graphs.

Interrupted time series (ITS) studies are frequently used to examine the impact of population-level interventions or exposures. Systematic reviews with meta-analyses including ITS designs may inform public health and policy decision-making. Re-analysis of ITS may be required for inclusion in meta-analysis.

Interventions from pregnancy to two years after birth for parents experiencing complex post-traumatic stress disorder and/or with childhood experience of maltreatment.

Background: Acceptable, effective and feasible support strategies (interventions) for parents experiencing complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) symptoms or with a history of childhood maltreatment may offer an opportunity to support parental recovery, reduce the risk of intergenerational transmission of trauma and improve life-course trajectories for children and future generations. However, evidence relating to the effect of interventions has not been synthesised to provide a comprehensive review of available support strategies. This evidence synthesis is critical to inform further research, practice and policy approaches in this emerging area.