A systematic review protocol for reporting deficiencies within surgical case series.
Riaz Agha1, Alexander J Fowler2, Seon-Young Lee3
1Balliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
BMJ Open
|October 7, 2015
Summary
This systematic review identifies common deficiencies in surgical case series reporting. The findings will inform the development of a much-needed reporting guideline to improve data accuracy and quality in surgical literature.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research Methodology
- Surgical Literature Analysis
Background:
- Case series are a common study type in surgical literature.
- Current reporting of case series often excludes key data, lacking a specific guideline.
- Reporting guidelines can significantly improve the quality of published research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a systematic review of identified deficiencies in surgical case series reporting.
- To lay the groundwork for developing a standardized reporting guideline for surgical case series.
- To enhance the quality and completeness of data in surgical case series publications.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of literature using electronic searches across multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) until November 2014.
- Two independent researchers screened articles for reporting deficiencies in surgical case series.
- Data on reporting deficiencies were extracted, categorized, and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Main Results:
- Frequently missing data types and common reporting issues in surgical case series will be identified.
- Deficiencies will be categorized to understand the scope of reporting problems.
- Descriptive statistics will quantify the prevalence of various reporting issues.
Conclusions:
- The systematic review will provide crucial data on surgical case series reporting deficiencies.
- Findings will directly inform a Delphi process for creating a surgical case series reporting guideline.
- Establishing a guideline aims to improve the quality and reliability of surgical case series research.
