Article type
Abstract
Background:
Healthcare professionals make critical decisions that impact patients daily. Utilising the best-available evidence is crucial for informed decision-making. However, the overwhelming volume of research makes it challenging for clinicians to digest this information. Evidence synthesis provides appraised and synthesised knowledge to inform these decisions and plays an important role in knowledge translation.
Scoping reviews (ScRs) are an increasingly popular type of evidence synthesis and have emerged as a valuable tool for mapping the breadth of research, identifying knowledge gaps, and describing methodological approaches in specific fields. They can help guide decision-making, policy development, and inform future research directions. However, they have been criticised for having poor methodological quality. Using a standardised tool (at the review level) to assess the methodological quality and risk of bias of ScRs is an avenue to address this concern.
Objectives:
To develop a critical appraisal tool to assess scoping reviews.
Methods:
Stage 1: A scoping review which aims to identify and examine risk of bias tools, critical appraisal tools, and assessment of methodological quality tools, including their items and domains, used for all types of evidence synthesis. This will collect a list of candidate items to be considered for the new tool.
Stage 2: The critical appraisal tool will be developed in consultation with methodology experts. The tool will then be pilot tested by a group of researchers to ensure its acceptability, ease of use, validity, and timeliness, while also identifying any redundant questions and room for improvement.
Results:
The project's outcomes will encompass a scoping review, a critical appraisal tool specifically designed for scoping reviews, and an explanation and elaboration of the tool. Data collection for the ScR is currently underway, with analysis forthcoming. Findings will be available at the time of the conference.
Conclusion:
Evidence synthesis is an expanding field that offers significant benefits to research, clinical practice, and policy. This project contributes to the continuous efforts to enhance the quality of evidence syntheses by developing a critical appraisal tool to assess ScRs, ultimately supporting the utilisation of high-quality evidence in healthcare decision-making.
Healthcare professionals make critical decisions that impact patients daily. Utilising the best-available evidence is crucial for informed decision-making. However, the overwhelming volume of research makes it challenging for clinicians to digest this information. Evidence synthesis provides appraised and synthesised knowledge to inform these decisions and plays an important role in knowledge translation.
Scoping reviews (ScRs) are an increasingly popular type of evidence synthesis and have emerged as a valuable tool for mapping the breadth of research, identifying knowledge gaps, and describing methodological approaches in specific fields. They can help guide decision-making, policy development, and inform future research directions. However, they have been criticised for having poor methodological quality. Using a standardised tool (at the review level) to assess the methodological quality and risk of bias of ScRs is an avenue to address this concern.
Objectives:
To develop a critical appraisal tool to assess scoping reviews.
Methods:
Stage 1: A scoping review which aims to identify and examine risk of bias tools, critical appraisal tools, and assessment of methodological quality tools, including their items and domains, used for all types of evidence synthesis. This will collect a list of candidate items to be considered for the new tool.
Stage 2: The critical appraisal tool will be developed in consultation with methodology experts. The tool will then be pilot tested by a group of researchers to ensure its acceptability, ease of use, validity, and timeliness, while also identifying any redundant questions and room for improvement.
Results:
The project's outcomes will encompass a scoping review, a critical appraisal tool specifically designed for scoping reviews, and an explanation and elaboration of the tool. Data collection for the ScR is currently underway, with analysis forthcoming. Findings will be available at the time of the conference.
Conclusion:
Evidence synthesis is an expanding field that offers significant benefits to research, clinical practice, and policy. This project contributes to the continuous efforts to enhance the quality of evidence syntheses by developing a critical appraisal tool to assess ScRs, ultimately supporting the utilisation of high-quality evidence in healthcare decision-making.