Article type
Year
Abstract
Introduction: Achieving MDG-5A requires a concerted effort and political will for the implementation of strategies and cost-effective interventions based on scientific evidence to improve the health of women. Cochrane reviews could be useful to the identification of research priorities.
Objective: To assist research sponsors and developers in achieving MDG-5A by mapping and prioritizing relevant research gaps identified in the 'Implication for Researchá section of Cochrane reviews.
Methods: Phase 1: We used an advanced search strategy in PUBMed limited to the Cochrane Database of Systematic reviews, and included reviews assessing interventions likely to reduce maternal mortality if they were published or updated during or after 2006. We evaluated the 'Implication for Researchá section of each review and developed questions in 'PICOá (spell out) format according to what Cochrane reviewers presented, then categorized questions according to intervention type (Table1). Phase 2: A group of experts will prioritize the list of identified questions by selecting and ranking each question based on specific criteria. We will verify that no new clinical trials address these questions, by identifying randomized clinical trials listed in PUBMED, the Cochrane Library, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). We will provide a list of unanswered questions that remain relevant to the achievement of MDG5-A (maternal mortality).
Results: We identified 695 references during phase 1 and included 203 reviews that met our inclusion criteria. More than 300 questions were structured and classified by intervention type (Table 1). An analysis of advanced phases of this study will be presented at the Cochrane Colloquium.
Conclusion: By organizing and presenting pre-identified knowledge gaps, we will provide helpful information for research sponsors, funding and development agencies, and researchers interested in addressing MDG-5A. We expect this contribution to act as a catalyst for the development of the essential research needed for the reduction of maternal mortality.
Objective: To assist research sponsors and developers in achieving MDG-5A by mapping and prioritizing relevant research gaps identified in the 'Implication for Researchá section of Cochrane reviews.
Methods: Phase 1: We used an advanced search strategy in PUBMed limited to the Cochrane Database of Systematic reviews, and included reviews assessing interventions likely to reduce maternal mortality if they were published or updated during or after 2006. We evaluated the 'Implication for Researchá section of each review and developed questions in 'PICOá (spell out) format according to what Cochrane reviewers presented, then categorized questions according to intervention type (Table1). Phase 2: A group of experts will prioritize the list of identified questions by selecting and ranking each question based on specific criteria. We will verify that no new clinical trials address these questions, by identifying randomized clinical trials listed in PUBMED, the Cochrane Library, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). We will provide a list of unanswered questions that remain relevant to the achievement of MDG5-A (maternal mortality).
Results: We identified 695 references during phase 1 and included 203 reviews that met our inclusion criteria. More than 300 questions were structured and classified by intervention type (Table 1). An analysis of advanced phases of this study will be presented at the Cochrane Colloquium.
Conclusion: By organizing and presenting pre-identified knowledge gaps, we will provide helpful information for research sponsors, funding and development agencies, and researchers interested in addressing MDG-5A. We expect this contribution to act as a catalyst for the development of the essential research needed for the reduction of maternal mortality.