Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR): beyond old school data abstraction

Article type
Authors
Hadar N1
1Brown University, USA
Abstract
Background: The Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR) is a Web-based open-access tool that supports electronic data abstraction and entry by multiple users, data comparison and exporting, progress monitoring, and data archiving and sharing. SRDR has a great potential to reduce the burden of conducting systematic reviews (SRs), while improving data quality and transparency of the process. The development of SRDR is funded by the AHRQ and is being maintained by the team at Brown University.

Objective: To introduce the audience to SRDR and its tools, share user experience, and invite feedback and discussion.

Methods: The steps to initiate a systematic review project in SRDR include creating the project and abstraction forms, adding users to the project, and assigning roles. The systematic reviewers then extract and enter data directly from study reports into SRDR for seamless data storage and processing. The Data Comparison and Adjudication tool allows identification and adjudication of discrepancies between data abstractors. The Data Exporting tool enables users to export data from SRDR into an analyzable format for further processing. The Summary Table Creation tool can also be used to generate reports and descriptive information about data collected in SRDR.

Results: SRDR was launched in June 2012, and since then over 50 SR projects have been initiated with over 200 users (from EPCs, Cochrane, and other organizations) entering over 2000 study records. The creation of a central database of SR data enables data sharing among organizations and individuals producing SRs worldwide. The Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group will present their experience using SRDR for their large network meta-analysis of over 500 studies and other projects.

Conclusions: SRDR can facilitate efficient data collection, adjudication, preparation of a dataset for analysis, and archiving. Future efforts must focus on linking SRDR to RevMan and further testing by multiple Cochrane groups conducting systematic reviews in diverse topics.