Systematic reviews on interventions for COVID-19 have rarely graded the certainty of the evidence
AUTOR(ES)
Martimbianco, Ana Luiza Cabrera; Pacheco, Rafael Leite; Latorraca, Carolina de Oliveira Cruz; Ferreira, Raphael Einsfeld Simões; Riera, Rachel
FONTE
Sao Paulo Med. J.
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO
2021-05
RESUMO
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Numerous systematic reviews on coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) treatment have been developed to provide syntheses of the large volume of primary studies. However, the methodological quality of most of these reviews is questionable and the results provided may therefore present bias. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how many systematic reviews on the therapeutic or preventive options for COVID-19 assessed the certainty of the evidence through the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. METHODS: We conducted a sensitive search in MEDLINE (via PubMed) and included all systematic reviews that assessed any intervention for COVID-19. The systematic reviews included were examined to identify any planned and/or actual assessment using the GRADE approach (or absence thereof) regarding the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: We included 177 systematic reviews and found that only 37 (21%; 37/177) assessed and reported the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach. This number reduced to 27 (16.2%; 27/167) when Cochrane reviews (n = 10), in which an evaluation using GRADE is mandatory, were excluded. CONCLUSION: Most of the systematic reviews on interventions relating to COVID-19 omitted assessment of the certainty of the evidence. This is a critical methodological omission that must not be overlooked in further research, so as to improve the impact and usefulness of syntheses relating to COVID-19.
Documentos Relacionados
- Evidence from Cochrane systematic reviews for controlling the dissemination of COVID-19 infection. A narrative review
- COVID-19: better trustworthiness of clinical evidence through clinical trials and systematic reviews
- Impact of COVID-19 on maxillofacial surgery practice: a systematic review
- Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic
- The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child growth and development: a systematic review