Patient, disease, and study characteristics in contemporary dementia research: A systematic review on external validity

Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains the bedrock of effective therapy and management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This systematic review examines the effect of interventions in improving ART adherence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which bears the largest global burden of HIV infection. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, and based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria, PUBMED, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for published studies on ART adherence interventions from 2010 to 2019. Thirty-one eligible studies published between 2010 to 2019 were identified, the categories of interventions were structural, behavioral, biological, cognitive, and combination. Study characteristics varied across design, intervention type, intervention setting, country, and outcome measurements. Many of the studies were behavioral interventions conducted in hospitals with more studies being randomized controlled trial (RCT) interventions. Despite the study variations, twenty-four studies recorded improvements. Notwithstanding, more quality studies such as RCTs should be conducted, especially among key affected populations (KAPs) to control transmission of resistant strains of the virus. Reliable objective measures of adherence should replace the conventional subjective self-report. Furthermore, long-term interventions with longer duration should be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.

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Students’ preparedness for disasters in schools: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Paediatrics Open ◽

10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000913 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. e000913

Author(s):

Hamed Seddighi ◽

Homeira Sajjadi ◽

Sepideh Yousefzadeh ◽

Mónica López López ◽

Meroe Vameghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Narrative Synthesis ◽

Ethics Code ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

And Gender ◽

Critical Appraisal Skills ◽

Meta Analyses

IntroductionChildren are one of the most vulnerable groups in disasters. Improving students’ knowledge and skills to prepare for disasters can play a major role in children’s health. School as a place to teach children can make a significant contribution to provide the necessary skills. This study aims to identify the effects, strengths and weaknesses of interventions in schools to prepare children for disasters.Methods and analysisWe use Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to develop a protocol for this systematic review. The included studies will report on the results of interventions targeting ‘schoolchildren’ defined as individuals between 4 and under 18 years old studying in schools. Different electronic databases will be used for a comprehensive literature search, including MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials and EMBASE to identify the records that match the mentioned inclusion criteria published till December 2020. The main search terms are ‘disaster’, ‘preparedness’, ‘children’ and ‘school’. Four types of data will be extracted from the qualified studies including study characteristics (study design, year of publication and geographical region where the study was conducted), participant characteristics (sample size, age and gender), intervention characteristics (aim of intervention, intervention facilitators and barriers) and intervention outcomes. The quality appraisal of the selected papers will be conducted using Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias for quantitative studies and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative studies. We use a narrative synthesis for this systematic review. The narrative synthesis refers to an approach to systematic reviews which focuses mostly on applying words and texts to summarise and explain findings.Ethics and disseminationThis paper is a part of a Ph.D. thesis of Hamed Seddighi at University of Social welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences with ethics code IR.USWR.REC.1399.008 approved by the Ethics Committee of the above-mentioned university.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020146536.

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Orthognathic treatment and temporomandibular disorders: A systematic review. Part 1. A new quality-assessment technique and analysis of study characteristics and classifications

American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics ◽

10.1016/j.ajodo.2009.02.021 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 136 (5) ◽

pp. 624.e1-624.e15 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Salma Al-Riyami ◽

David R. Moles ◽

Susan J. Cunningham

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Temporomandibular Disorders ◽

Assessment Technique ◽

Study Characteristics

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The promise of Telemedicine in Pakistan: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.27961 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Syed Sarosh Mahdi ◽

Franceso Amenta ◽

Raheel Allana ◽

Gopi Battineni 3rd ◽

Tamsal Khalid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Region ◽

Middle Income ◽

Web Based ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Implementation Costs ◽

Newcastle Ottawa Scale ◽

Good Support ◽

Ottawa Scale

BACKGROUND Telemedicine is a medical practice of assisting remote patients and it has great potential in developing countries like Pakistan. Telemedicine solves the logistical barriers, deliver good support to weak health systems and unite worldwide networks of healthcare personals. Because of high implementation costs, yet it is not possible to adopt telehealth systems for low and middle-income nations. OBJECTIVE In this systematic review, we aim to present an update revision of region-based telemedical services in Pakistan. METHODS Libraries such as PubMed (Medline), CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Scopus (EMBASE) and Google Scholar were used for document search. Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) is adopted to conduct study quality. Majority of the studies (n-8) included in the review were of high quality as assessed through the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Selected study characteristics further analyzed based on different parameters such as publication year, sample size, study design, methods, motivation and outcomes. RESULTS Search produced 955 articles and 11 items were ultimately selected to conduct the review. These studies further characterized as region-based telemedicine implementation. Out of 11, eight studies were conducted in the urban region and three studies were conducted in the rural areas of Pakistan. Majority of studies produced evidence on telehealth interventions by smartphone services like SMS, apps and web-based telemedicine. CONCLUSIONS Telehealth interventions like mHealth, eHealth, telemedicine, and telepharmacy are starting to evaluate for the last two decades but certainly needs to become an integral part of Pakistan's current health infrastructure.

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Methodological systematic review of studies on social inequalities in smoking among young adults: A field coming of age?

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054576 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 566-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thierry Gagné ◽

Joseph G L Lee ◽

Madeleine Steinmetz-Wood ◽

Katherine L Frohlich

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Young Adults ◽

Social Inequalities ◽

Coming Of Age ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Life Transitions ◽

Parental Characteristics ◽

Study Selection ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Measurement Strategies

ObjectiveSocioeconomic circumstances are critically important to addressing smoking. In young adulthood (ages 18–25), dynamic transitions in education, employment, family and housing complicate the measurement of socioeconomic circumstances. To better understand approaches to capturing these circumstances, this methodological systematic review examined how socioeconomic characteristics used to identify social inequalities in smoking among young adults are measured.Data sourcesWe searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, ERIC and Sociological Abstracts, and used three prior reviews. We updated the search in March 2018.Study selectionTwo reviewers independently screened peer-reviewed records from OECD countries published in English, French, German or Spanish after 1995 whose samples covered at least 1 year between the ages of 18 and 25. We included 89 of 1320 records.Data extractionOne reviewer extracted study characteristics, indicators used to operationalise socioeconomic circumstances and each indicator’s relation to results on smoking (ie, significance and direction). We found 39 indicators of socioeconomic circumstances related to six broad domains. These indicators were used in 425 results.Data synthesisWe descriptively analysed the extracted data using evidence tables. Educational attainment was most common. Evidence of inequalities varied by indicator used. For example, there was inconsistent evidence regarding the role of parental characteristics and transition stages and insufficient evidence regarding personal income on smoking.ConclusionDespite its importance, studies have disproportionally examined inequalities among young adults using traditional indicators. The mismatch between young adults’ life transitions and measurement strategies may attenuate evidence of inequalities. We suggest strategies to improve future measurement.

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The influence of study characteristics on reporting of subgroup analyses in randomised controlled trials: systematic review

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.d1569 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 342 (mar28 1) ◽

pp. d1569-d1569 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

X. Sun ◽

M. Briel ◽

J. W. Busse ◽

J. J. You ◽

E. A. Akl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Subgroup Analyses ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Randomised Controlled

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Efficacy and External Validity of Electronic and Mobile Phone-Based Interventions Promoting Vegetable Intake in Young Adults: A Systematic Review Protocol

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/resprot.4665 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. e92 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Monica Marina Nour ◽

Juliana Chen ◽

Margaret Allman-Farinelli

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Young Adults ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

External Validity ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Systematic Review Protocol ◽

Review Protocol

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External Validity: The Next Step for Systematic Reviews?

Evaluation Review ◽

10.1177/0193841x16665199 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 283-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sarah A. Avellar ◽

Jaime Thomas ◽

Rebecca Kleinman ◽

Emily Sama-Miller ◽

Sara E. Woodruff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

External Validity ◽

Home Visiting ◽

Evaluation Research ◽

Internal Validity ◽

Reporting Guidelines ◽

Sample Characteristics ◽

Statistical Representativeness

Background: Systematic reviews—which identify, assess, and summarize existing research—are usually designed to determine whether research shows that an intervention has evidence of effectiveness, rather than whether an intervention will work under different circumstances. The reviews typically focus on the internal validity of the research and do not consistently incorporate information on external validity into their conclusions. Objectives: In this article, we focus on how systematic reviews address external validity. Methods: We conducted a brief scan of 19 systematic reviews and a more in-depth examination of information presented in a systematic review of home visiting research. Results: We found that many reviews do not provide information on generalizability, such as statistical representativeness, but focus on factors likely to increase heterogeneity (e.g., numbers of studies or settings) and report on context. The latter may help users decide whether the research characteristics—such as sample demographics or settings—are similar to their own. However, we found that differences in reporting, such as which variables are included and how they are measured, make it difficult to summarize across studies or make basic determinations of sample characteristics, such as whether the majority of a sample was unemployed or married. Conclusion: Evaluation research and systematic reviews would benefit from reporting guidelines for external validity to ensure that key information is reported across studies.

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Shoulder pain prevalence by age and within occupational groups: a systematic review

Archives of Physiotherapy ◽

10.1186/s40945-021-00119-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher J. Hodgetts ◽

Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde ◽

Amber Beynon ◽

Bruce F. Walker

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Shoulder Pain ◽

Occupational Groups ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active ◽

Prevalence Estimates ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Pain Prevalence ◽

Older Populations ◽

Working Populations

Abstract Background Shoulder pain was previously shown to diminish in older populations and it was suggested that this could be explained by reduced usage with age. Our objectives were to investigate if estimates of shoulder pain continue to increase after the age of 50 in working populations and to compare these estimates in physically demanding occupations with sedentary occupations. Methods A systematic review of retrospective, cross-sectional, prospective, or longitudinal. studies reporting prevalence or incidence of non-specific shoulder pain in occupational groups stratified by age. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL from inception until January 2020. Study characteristics and prevalence estimates stratified by age were extracted. Two reviewers independently performed a critical analysis of the included studies to determine their validity and risk of bias. Results Twenty studies with a total of 40,487 participants and one study of a clinical data base were included and assigned a direction of the estimates for shoulder pain as either ‘increasing’, ‘remaining stable’ or ‘decreasing’ past the age of 50. Shoulder pain generally increased past 50, with 16 of the 21 included studies reporting higher estimates/odds ratios in older participants. In the more physically active occupations over 50, the estimates increased in 14 of the 18 samples compared to only two of the four involving sedentary occupations. Conclusions Shoulder pain prevalence remains common in workers beyond the age of 50. Prevalence continues to increase in physically demanding occupations. Clinicians should consider factors of occupation when managing shoulder pain. Trial registration PROSPERO (CRD42019137831).

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A Systematic Review of the Relationships Between Physical Activity and Sleep in Early Childhood

Kinesiology Review ◽

10.1123/kr.2020-0066 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Christine W. St. Laurent ◽

Katrina Rodheim ◽

Rebecca M.C. Spencer

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

Outcome Studies ◽

Study Quality ◽

Assessment Development ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Study Designs

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the associations between physical activity and sleep in children aged less than 6 years. Articles were included if participants were primarily aged less than 6 years and study designs were observational or experimental. Study characteristics were extracted, and the Grading Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework was used to assess study quality. Thirty-six studies (16 sleep, 16 physical activity, and three fitness outcomes) from 18 countries reported in 29 articles were included. The majority of sleep and physical activity outcome studies reported mixed effects with very low to low quality of evidence. Fitness outcome studies were limited, and therefore, evidence was insufficient. The high prevalence of mixed and null results could be related to study limitations. Importantly, this review points to the critical need for higher quality studies of sleep and physical activity in young children, which would support health recommendations and intervention strategies for healthier child development.

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