Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35934268›Full record

SynthesisJournal of clinical epidemiology2022

Systematic reviews of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 continue to be poorly conducted and reported: a systematic review.

Rebecca Whear, Alison Bethel, Rebecca Abbott, Morwenna Rogers, Noreen Orr, Sean Manzi, Obioha C Ukoumunne, Ken Stein, Jo Thompson Coon

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of clinical epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Rebecca WhearEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK. Electronic address: r.s.whear@exeter.ac.uk.
Alison BethelEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Rebecca AbbottEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Morwenna RogersEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Noreen OrrEvidence Synthesis Team, University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Sean ManziNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Obioha C UkoumunneNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Ken SteinEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.
Jo Thompson CoonEvidence Synthesis Team, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK.

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo suggest possible approaches to combatting the impact of the COVID-19 infodemic to prevent research waste in future health emergencies and in everyday research and practice. STUDY DESIGN AND

settingSystematic review. The Epistemonikos database was searched in June 2021 for systematic reviews on the effectiveness of convalescent plasma for COVID-19. Two reviewers independently screened the retrieved references with disagreements resolved by discussion. Data extraction was completed by one reviewer with a proportion checked by a second. We used the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews to assess the quality of conduct and reporting of included reviews.

resultsFifty one systematic reviews are included with 193 individual studies included within the systematic reviews. There was considerable duplication of effort; multiple reviews were conducted at the same time with inconsistencies in the evidence included. The reviews were of low methodological quality, poorly reported, and did not adhere to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidance.

conclusionResearchers need to conduct, appraise, interpret, and disseminate systematic reviews better. All in the research community (researchers, peer-reviewers, journal editors, funders, decision makers, clinicians, journalists, and the public) need to work together to facilitate the conduct of robust systematic reviews that are published and communicated in a timely manner, reducing research duplication and waste, increasing transparency and accessibility of all systematic reviews.

Indexed as

COVID-19HumansConvalescent plasmaCOVID-19InfodemicResearch wasteSolutionsSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID35934268
PMCPMC9351208

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.