| Ref ID | 624 |
| First Author | A. Y. Tsou |
| Journal | RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS |
| Year Of Publishing | 2016 |
| URL | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/jrsm.1221?download=true |
| Keywords |
• Abstract / summary • General medical • Spin • Inference |
| Problem(s) |
• Errors in systematic review abstracts or plain language summaries • Incorrect interpretation or statistical inference error from meta-analysis • Spin or subjective interpretation of findings |
| Article Type | Empirical |
| Article Subtype | Cross-sectional survey/Methodological systematic review |
| First Author Country | United States |
| Checklists |
• PRISMA-A |
| Aim | To evaluate a random sample of 200 systematic review abstracts (published in 2014) comparing interventions in the general medical literature according to adherence to PRISMA-A criteria; problematic wording in conclusions; and whether “positive” studies described clinical significance. |
| Level of Investigation | Descriptive |
| Summary of Findings | From 200 included abstracts, an average reported 60% of PRISMA-A checklist items (mean 8.9 ± 1.7, range 4 to 12). Only 49% described effects in terms meaningful to patients and clinicians (e.g., absolute measures), and only 43% mentioned strengths/limitations of the evidence base. For “negative” outcomes, the authors identified problematic simple restatements (20%), vague “no evidence of effect” wording (9%), and wishful wording statements (8%) which frame non-significant results to reflect the authors’ bias regarding an expected direction. |
| Number of systematic reviews included | 200 |
| Number of eligible systematic reviews assessed | 12654 |
| Treatment impacted | No |
| Treatment impacted description | |
| Interpretation impacted | Not Applicable |
| Interpretation impacted description |