Objectives: Nonrandomized studies (NRSs) are considered to provide less reliable evidence for intervention effects. However, these are included in Cochrane reviews, despite discouragement. There has been no evaluation of when and how these designs are used. Therefore, we conducted an overview of current practice.
Study Design And Setting: We included all Cochrane reviews that considered NRS, conducting inclusions and data extraction in duplicate.
Results: Of the included 202 reviews, 114 (56%) did not cite a reason for including NRS. The reasons were divided into two major categories: NRS were included because randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are wanted (N = 81, 92%) but not feasible, lacking, or insufficient alone or because RCTs are not needed (N = 7, 8%). A range of designs were included with controlled before-after studies as the most common. Most interventions were nonpharmaceutical and the settings nonmedical. For risk of bias assessment, Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group's checklists were used by most reviewers (38%), whereas others used a variety of checklists and self-constructed tools.
Conclusion: Most Cochrane reviews do not justify including NRS. When they do, most are not in line with Cochrane recommendations. Risk of bias assessment varies across reviews and needs improvement.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.01.001 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Fixation Methods, Complications, and Outcomes After Primary Fixation of Isolated Chondral Fragments in the Knee: A Systematic Review.
Am J Sports Med
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Background: Knee injuries resulting in purely cartilaginous defects are rare, and controversy remains regarding the reliability of chondral-only fixation.
Purpose: To systematically review the literature for fixation methods and outcomes after primary fixation of chondral-only defects within the knee.
Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 5.
Athlete Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators Abuse: A Systematic Review.
Am J Sports Med
January 2025
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Background: Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are small-molecule compounds that exert agonist and antagonist effects on androgen receptors in a tissue-specific fashion. Because of their performance-enhancing implications, SARMs are increasingly abused by athletes. To date, SARMs have no Food and Drug Administration approved use, and recent case reports associate the use of SARMs with deleterious effects such as drug-induced liver injury, myocarditis, and tendon rupture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunopathogenesis and immunotherapy of diabetes-associated periodontitis.
Clin Oral Investig
January 2025
Department of Bone Metabolism, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University & Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration & Shandong Engineering Research Center of Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration & Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Objectives: This paper aims to review the immunopathogenesis of Diabetes-associated periodontitis (DPD) and to propose a description of the research progress of drugs with potential clinical value from an immunotherapeutic perspective.
Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were studies on the association between diabetes and periodontitis using the Boolean operator "AND" for association between diabetes and periodontitis, with no time or language restrictions.
Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Associated Factors Among Food Handlers in East Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Acta Parasitol
January 2025
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Woldia University, P.O. box 400, Woldia, Ethiopia.
Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are a significant public health concern, especially among food handlers, who can transmit these infections to the public through food preparation and handling. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infections among food handlers in the East African region.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis on intestinal parasitic infections among food handlers involved a comprehensive search across various databases, including Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and the institution's library registers.
Machine learning models predicting risk of revision or secondary knee injury after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction demonstrate variable discriminatory and accuracy performance: a systematic review.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord
January 2025
Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Background: To summarize the statistical performance of machine learning in predicting revision, secondary knee injury, or reoperations following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and to provide a general overview of the statistical performance of these models.
Methods: Three online databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE) were searched from database inception to February 6, 2024, to identify literature on the use of machine learning to predict revision, secondary knee injury (e.g.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!