Conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies: didactic guidelines

Conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies: didactic guidelines

3 July 2002 | Walter L Devillé*, Frank Buntinx, Lex M Bouter, Victor M Montori, Henrica CW de Vet, Danielle AWM van der Windt and P Dick Bezemer
This article presents a set of practical guidelines for conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies, developed based on evidence and the expertise of the Cochrane Collaboration. The guidelines aim to facilitate understanding and adherence to methodological principles in the field of diagnostic research. The authors review methods for literature search, inclusion criteria, data extraction, and statistical pooling of diagnostic accuracy data. They emphasize the importance of comprehensive literature searches, clear inclusion criteria, and detailed data extraction. The guidelines also address the assessment of methodological quality, handling of heterogeneity, and statistical pooling techniques. Examples from systematic reviews on the accuracy of the urine dipstick for urinary tract infections and the straight-leg-raising test for intervertebral disc hernia are provided to illustrate the application of these guidelines. The article highlights the challenges in conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies, such as the difficulty in discovering all relevant evidence, poor reporting of research methods, and the need for subjective decisions in study selection and interpretation. Despite these challenges, the authors believe that systematic reviews can provide valuable information until better-designed studies are available.This article presents a set of practical guidelines for conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies, developed based on evidence and the expertise of the Cochrane Collaboration. The guidelines aim to facilitate understanding and adherence to methodological principles in the field of diagnostic research. The authors review methods for literature search, inclusion criteria, data extraction, and statistical pooling of diagnostic accuracy data. They emphasize the importance of comprehensive literature searches, clear inclusion criteria, and detailed data extraction. The guidelines also address the assessment of methodological quality, handling of heterogeneity, and statistical pooling techniques. Examples from systematic reviews on the accuracy of the urine dipstick for urinary tract infections and the straight-leg-raising test for intervertebral disc hernia are provided to illustrate the application of these guidelines. The article highlights the challenges in conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies, such as the difficulty in discovering all relevant evidence, poor reporting of research methods, and the need for subjective decisions in study selection and interpretation. Despite these challenges, the authors believe that systematic reviews can provide valuable information until better-designed studies are available.
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[slides and audio] Conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic studies%3A didactic guidelines