Methods to select results to include in meta-analyses deserve more consideration in systematic reviews

Ref ID 385
First Author M. J. Page
Journal JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Year Of Publishing 2015
URL https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(15)00105-5/fulltext
Keywords Cochrane
Protocols
Multiplicity
General medical
Problem(s) Multiplicity of outcomes and lack of pre-specification for outcome reporting
No registered or published protocol
Number of systematic reviews included 44
Summary of Findings Only 48% had a publicly available protocol. Multiplicity of results was common, occurring in 49% of trial reports. Pre-specification of decision rules to select results from multiple measurement scales and intervention/control groups (in multi-arm trials) was uncommon (19% and 14% of review protocols, respectively). Overall, 70% of reviews included at least one randomized controlled trial with multiplicity of results, but this occurred less frequently in reviews with a protocol.
Did the article find that the problem(s) led to qualitative changes in interpretation of the results? Not Applicable
Are the methods of the article described in enough detail to replicate the study? Yes