- Framework of problems / Rigourous
- Inadequate analysis of heterogeneity
- Methodological issues in designing and reporting of systematic reviews in assessing association between vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 severity
| Ref ID | 842 |
| First Author | R. Bajpai |
| Journal | QJM |
| Year Of Publishing | 2023 |
| URL | https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/116/5/406/6647866?login=true |
| Keywords |
Reproducibility Protocols COVID Heterogeneity Vitamins and supplements Low reporting quality Non-Cochrane reviews |
| Problem(s) |
No registered or published protocol Low reporting (PRISMA) quality Methods not described to enable replication Inadequate analysis of heterogeneity |
| Number of systematic reviews included | 1 |
| Summary of Findings | From a letter highlighting problems in the conduct of a systematic review examining the effect of Vitamin D supplementation on the severity of COVID-19 published in 2022. Several methodological issues were reported to be identified relating to planning (no information on PROSPERO), conduct (non-reproducible literature search), analytical methods (misleading and biased analysis plan) and reporting (not following PRISMA checklist) that the letter author argues limits the acceptability and generalizability of the findings from the review and could mislead clinical decision-making. |
| 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? |