Overview of evidence synthesis types and modes.

Background And Objectives: Evidence syntheses systematically compile and analyze information from multiple sources to support health care decision making. As many different types of questions need to be answered in health care, different evidence synthesis types have emerged. In this article, we introduce the most common types of evidence synthesis.

Prioritising methodological research questions for scoping reviews, mapping reviews and evidence and gap maps for health research: a protocol for PROSPECT Delphi study.

Introduction: Scoping reviews, mapping reviews and evidence and gap maps (collectively known as 'big picture reviews') in health continue to gain popularity within the evidence ecosystem. These big-picture reviews are beneficial for policy-makers, guideline developers and researchers within the field of health for understanding the available evidence, characteristics, concepts and research gaps, which are often needed to support the development of policies, guidelines and practice. However, these reviews often face criticism related to poor and inconsistent methodological conduct and reporting.

Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Background: Despite the rapid increase in evidence from the past decade on daily steps and health-related outcomes, existing systematic reviews primarily focused on few outcomes, such as all-cause mortality. This study synthesised the prospective dose-response relationship between daily steps and health outcomes including all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cognitive outcomes, mental health outcomes, physical function, and falls.

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and EBSCO CINAHL for literature published between Jan 1, 2014, and Feb 14, 2025, supplemented by other search strategies.

The revised JBI critical appraisal tool for the assessment of risk of bias for analytical cross-sectional studies.

Cross-sectional studies are a useful observational study design that provides a snapshot of a population's health status at a specific moment in time. Analytical cross-sectional studies are often included in systematic reviews investigating the etiology or risk of diseases, and descriptive cross-sectional studies are often used to determine the prevalence of a disease. As required of all studies that meet eligibility criteria for a systematic review, analytical cross-sectional studies should be subjected to appropriate critical appraisal of their methodological quality to determine the risk of bias.

Assessing the feasibility and impact of clinical trial trustworthiness checks via an application to Cochrane Reviews: Stage 2 of the INSPECT-SR project.

Background And Objectives: The aim of the INveStigating ProblEmatic Clinical Trials in Systematic Reviews (INSPECT-SR) project is to develop a tool to identify problematic RCTs in systematic reviews. In stage 1 of the project, a list of potential trustworthiness checks was created. The checks on this list must be evaluated to determine which should be included in the INSPECT-SR tool.

Protocol for the development of NHMRC-endorsed guidelines for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation using GRADE methodology.

Introduction: The last 15 years have seen a rapid expansion in the use of extracorporeal life support. ECMO has evolved from a rescue treatment available in a few expert centres to an organ support modality for many forms of severe respiratory or cardiovascular failure. There is currently wide variation around the indications for, management of, and systems to support the practice of ECMO.

Prophylactic Tranexamic Acid Use in Orthognathic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of tranexamic acid (TXA) on bleeding and thromboembolic events in orthognathic surgery out.

Methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were searched until 01/06/2024.

Results: Nine randomised controlled trials and two cohort studies were included for pooled analysis.

Determinants of complexity in clinical practice guidelines: a Delphi study including perspectives from guideline developers and implementers.

Abstract: The Medical Research Council proposed a framework to develop and implement complex interventions in practice. How to adopt these interventions is described in recommendations of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Many factors may influence the complexity of a guideline.

Simulated clinical placements in health care education: a scoping review and evidence and gap map protocol.

Objective: This protocol details the methods for a scoping review that will examine the evidence on the design, implementation, delivery, and evaluation of simulated clinical placements.

Introduction: Clinical placements allow health professions students to apply theoretical knowledge in clinical settings. For various economical, practical, and preferential reasons, some programs and institutions have trialed and established simulated clinical placements.

Determining the methodological rigor and overall quality of out-of-hospital clinical practice guidelines: a scoping review.

Objectives: Out-of-hospital clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) guide paramedics, emergency medical technicians and first responders, but their quality remains uncertain. This scoping review aims to identify, aggregate and describe all literature that has used a structured appraisal instrument to assess the methodological rigor and overall quality of out-of-hospital CPGs.

Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and involved systematically searching the following databases and/or information sources with no publication or language limit applied: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL with full text (EBSCO), Scopus (Elsevier), ProQuest Central (ProQuest).

The GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist extension for engagement.

Objectives: Better engagement of diverse groups of interest-holders in the development of health guidelines has been proposed to improve their usefulness, implementability, and acceptability. Guidelines shape clinical or public health practice decision-making. Trustworthy guidelines are systematically developed documents that include actionable statements based on evidence and a formal, structured and transparent decision process.

Scoping review indicates heterogeneous methods for developing and integrating patient decision aids in the context of clinical practice guidelines.

Objectives: To review the methods used to develop and integrate patient decision aids (PDAs) based on the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a scoping review covering bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase; searched until December 2023), gray literature, references, and expert consultations to identify eligible documents. Documents published from 2000 onwards and describing methods related to guideline-based PDA development or linking CPGs and PDAs were included.

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.

Determining the methodological rigor and overall quality of out-of-hospital clinical practice guidelines: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review will aim to determine the methodological rigor and quality of out-of-hospital clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) by collating and describing all literature that assessed these documents using a structured appraisal instrument.

Introduction: In the out-of-hospital setting, the provision of emergency health care by paramedics and first responders is guided, directed, or informed by localized, overarching CPGs. Numerous CPGs in this setting have been assessed for their methodological rigor and overall quality using an appraisal instrument.

The impact of using cannabis during pregnancy on the infant and mother: An overview of systematic reviews, evidence map, targeted updates, and de novo synthesis.

Background: Cannabis use during pregnancy is becoming more prevalent. While numerous studies have explored the relationship of cannabis use during pregnancy and outcomes for mothers and infants, uncertainty remains regarding the impact of cannabis use on pregnancy complications and later-life outcomes for offspring.

Aims: To produce a summary of the short and long-term effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal growth and development, neonatal conditions, later-life, and maternal outcomes.

Fostering Shared Decision-Making Between Patients and Health Care Professionals in Clinical Practice Guidelines: Protocol for a Project to Develop and Test a Tool for Guideline Developers.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are designed to assist health care professionals in medical decision-making, but they often lack effective integration of shared decision-making (SDM) principles to reflect patient values and preferences, particularly in the context of preference-sensitive CPG recommendations. To address this shortcoming and foster SDM through CPGs, the integration of patient decision aids (PDAs) into CPGs has been proposed as an important strategy. However, methods for systematically identifying and prioritizing CPG recommendations relevant to SDM and related decision support tools are currently lacking.

"How-to": scoping review?

Background And Objective: Scoping reviews are a type of evidence synthesis that aims to identify and map the breadth of evidence available on a particular topic, field, concept, or issue, within or across a defined context or contexts. Scoping reviews can contribute to clinical practice guideline development, policy making, reduce research waste by eliminating duplication of research effort, and be a precursor to a systematic review or inform further primary research. This article aims to provide a brief introduction of how to conduct and report scoping reviews.

Prenatal alcohol exposure and associations with physical size, dysmorphology and neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a significant public health concern, yet there is no internationally agreed set of diagnostic criteria or summary of underlying evidence to inform diagnostic decision-making. This systematic review assesses associations of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and outcomes of diagnostic assessments, providing an evidence base for the improvement of FASD diagnostic criteria.

Methods: Six databases were searched (inception-February 2023).

Tools, techniques, methods, and processes for the detection and mitigation of fraudulent or erroneous data in evidence synthesis: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review aims to identify, catalogue, and characterize previously reported tools, techniques, methods, and processes that have been recommended or used by evidence synthesizers to detect fraudulent or erroneous data and mitigate its impact.

Introduction: Decision-making for policy and practice should always be underpinned by the best available evidence-typically peer-reviewed scientific literature. Evidence synthesis literature should be collated and organized using the appropriate evidence synthesis methodology, best exemplified by the role systematic reviews play in evidence-based health care.

The revised JBI critical appraisal tool for the assessment of risk of bias for cohort studies.

Cohort studies are a robust analytical observational study design that explore the difference in outcomes between two cohorts, differentiated by their exposure status. Despite being observational in nature, they are often included in systematic reviews of effectiveness, particularly when randomized controlled trials are limited or not feasible. Like all studies included in a systematic review, cohort studies must undergo a critical appraisal process to assess the extent to which a study has considered potential bias in its design, conduct, or analysis.

Contextual factors and G6PD diagnostic testing: a scoping review and evidence and gap map.

Background: Testing for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an important consideration regarding treatment for malaria. G6PD deficiency may lead to haemolytic anaemia during malaria treatment and, therefore, determining G6PD deficiency in malaria treatment strategies is extremely important.

Methods: This report presents the results of a scoping review and evidence and gap map for consideration by the Guideline Development Group for G6PD near patient tests to support radical cure of Plasmodium vivax.

GRADE guidance 39: using GRADE-ADOLOPMENT to adopt, adapt or create contextualized recommendations from source guidelines and evidence syntheses.

Background And Objective: The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT methodology has been widely used to adopt, adapt, or de novo develop recommendations from existing or new guideline and evidence synthesis efforts. The objective of this guidance is to refine the operationalization for applying GRADE-ADOLOPMENT.

Methods: Through iterative discussions, online meetings, and email communications, the GRADE-ADOLOPMENT project group drafted the updated guidance.

Contextual factors related to vector-control interventions for malaria: a scoping review and evidence and gap map protocol.

Objective: This scoping review will identify existing literature regarding contextual factors relevant to vector-control interventions to prevent malaria. We will use the findings of the scoping review to produce an interactive evidence and gap map. The map will assist in the priority setting, development, and conduct of targeted systematic reviews.