Objectives: This presentation aims to show the challenges of a seemingly straightforward overview of test accuracy systematic review evidence for brief cognitive assessments for dementia identification in a primary care population.
Description: Systematic reviews of existing health evidence such as those conducted by Cochrane are recognised as the international gold standard for high-quality trusted information. Whilst guidance on conducting an overview of reviews is covered in Chapter 22 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, there is no current Cochrane guidance available for authors conducting overviews of reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. We present our findings and consider the methodological challenges encountered in carrying out this overview. Specifically we will discuss:
- What is the purpose of conducting an overview of systematic reviews?
- How do Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews differ, and should they be treated differently?
- How should an author handle a change in review perspective (e.g. primary care focus when reviewing general setting reviews)?
- How should an author handle low-quality and incomplete reporting within overviews?
- What would a good overview of systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy look like?
The authors aim to situate the evidence for overviews of systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy, and prompt discussion of key issues raised.