Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
"We used standard Cochrane methods" - observational study on reporting according to PRISMA-A in Cochrane review
Kathrin Wandscher1, Jasmin Helbach1, Dawid Pieper2
1Department of Health Services Research, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Objectives:
To evaluate reporting of abstracts of Cochrane reviews (CRs) according to PRISMA-A over the last years and trends in reporting the use of standard Cochrane methods and GRADE.
Study Design And Setting:
This was a retrospective, observational study based on eligible CRs indexed in MEDLINE (via PubMed) from 2016 to 2023. Stratified random sample with a total of 520 abstracts was drawn and 489 CRs on effectiveness were included. PRISMA-A adherence, reporting use of standard methods, and GRADE were extracted by two reviewers independently. Data were analyzed descriptively and stratified by publication year and reporting of standard methods.
Results:
Mean score of fully reported PRISMA-A items ranged from 6.9 to 7.2 out of 12 between 2016 and 2023, whereas abstract length increased from a median of 686 to 866 words, particularly in the results section. Over the years, reporting that standard methods were used increased from 27.4% to 53.2% and for GRADE from 30.7% to 74.2%. Abstracts reporting the use of standard methods more often adhere to individual PRISMA-A items on results and less often on methods with no differences in overall PRISMA-A adherence.
Conclusion:
PRISMA-A adherence in CR abstracts has remained unchanged over the years, with reporting more information on results than methods. This conflicts with PRISMA-A, which recommends specifying the methods used, forms the basis for reporting abstracts in the Cochrane Handbook since August 2023. Therefore, Cochrane authors and editors should closely monitor the reporting whether standard methods were used.
More Related Videos
10:38Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
06:05The Participant-Reported Implementation Update and Score (PRIUS): A Novel Method for Capturing Implementation-Related Data Over Time
Published on: February 19, 2021
Related Concept Videos
02:30Naturalistic Observations
02:20Longitudinal Research
01:08Data Collection by Observations
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...
01:11Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One...
01:21Types of Reports II: Incident or Occurrence Report
Purposes:
In the healthcare industry, reports play a crucial role in documenting incidents within an agency. The primary objective of these reports is to ensure patient safety, uphold the...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...