PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams, with interactivity for...

Area of Science:

• Systematic Reviews and Evidence Synthesis
• Scientific Communication
• Data Visualization

Background:

• Reporting standards like PRISMA are crucial for systematic review transparency.
• Flow diagrams aid in understanding review processes and record attrition.
• Current use and quality of flow diagrams in systematic reviews are suboptimal, necessitating standardized templates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly tool for generating PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review flow diagrams.
• To improve the quality and transparency of reporting in systematic reviews.
• To introduce interactive flow diagrams for enhanced reader engagement.

Main Methods:

• Developed a free, open-source R package and a web-based Shiny application.
• The tool supports the creation of standardized, PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams.
• Enabled the generation of interactive HTML flow diagrams with navigable details.

Main Results:

• A user-friendly tool is available for creating PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams.
• The tool caters to users with and without coding experience.
• Interactive flow diagrams can be produced, allowing readers to access further information.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool simplifies the creation of clear, PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams.
• Interactive flow diagrams enhance the exploration of review methods and results.
• This tool is expected to increase the use and quality of flow diagrams, improving scientific communication.