Analyses of reporting quality and accuracy of abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in Physiotherapy and other health care areas

• Grant number: 16/17853-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: May 01, 2017
• End date: May 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa
• Grantee: Dafne Port Nascimento
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão. Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/17932-7 - Descriptive analyses of the trustworthiness of healthcare trials and reviews abstracts: a systematic review protocol, BE.EP.DD

Abstract

This proposal of this PhD comprises three studies related to reporting quality and accuracy of abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in Physiotherapy and other health care areas. Abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews should be clear, concise and should reflect exactly what was accomplished in the study. Studies in different health care areas assessed the quality and accuracy of abstracts and found discrepancies such as omission of information, inconsistent results with full text, low quality in abstracts structure, spin and selective bias. Objectives: 1) to analyse abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in Physiotherapy for low back pain, besides their characteristics; 2) to conduct a systematic review comprising all existing studies that assessed reporting quality and accuracy of abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in health care area. Method: A randomized sample of 200 randomized controlled trials in Physiotherapy for low back pain, published from 2010 to 2015, indexed in PEDro database is currently ongoing. Another randomized sample of systematic reviews of Physiotherapy for low back pain, published in 2015 and indexed in the same database, will be analysed. Information regarding study characteristics, reporting quality and accuracy of abstract and text will be extracted. Primary outcomes will be based on items adequately reported from CONSORT and PRISMA recommendations for abstracts, besides items that indicate the presence of selective reporting and spin in the results and conclusion sections. Abstract information will be compared with information in the text. Article and journal's descriptive data will be collected to analyse whether factors such as, journal's impact factor, open access and if endorses CONSORT/PRISMA recommendations, interfere in reporting quality of abstracts. Statistical analyses will be descriptive using frequency in percentage, besides logistic regression analyses. The systematic review of these health care area studies will be conducted through MEDLINE, CENTRAL and EMBASE databases, in October 2018. Data about reporting quality and accuracy of the articles from these reviews will be extracted and analysed descriptively. Expected results: Results of this PhD proposal may collaborate with authors in reporting quality and accuracy of abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, besides assisting editors and reviewers on how to improve their reporting selection criteria of articles for publication. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NASCIMENTO, DAFNE PORT; GONZALEZ, GABRIELLE ZOLDAN; ARAUJO, AMANDA COSTA; MOSELEY, ANNE M.; MAHER, CHRIS G.; PENA COSTA, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA. Eight in Every 10 Abstracts of Low Back Pain Systematic Reviews Presented Spin and Inconsistencies With the Full Text: An Analysis of 66 Systematic Reviews. JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC & SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY, v. 50, n. 1, p. 17+, JAN 2020. (16/17853-4)

NASCIMENTO, DAFNE PORT; GONZALEZ, GABRIELLE ZOLDAN; ARAUJO, AMANDA COSTA; COSTA, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA PENA. Journal impact factor is associated with PRISMA endorsement, but not with the methodological quality of low back pain systematic reviews: a methodological review. EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL, v. 29, n. 3, p. 18-pg., 2019-11-09. (16/17853-4)

NASCIMENTO, DAFNE PORT; GONZALEZ, GABRIELLE ZOLDAN; ARAUJO, AMANDA COSTA; MOSELEY, ANNE; MAHER, CHRISTOPHER; COSTA, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA PENA. Factors associated with the reporting quality of low-back pain systematic review abstracts in physical-therapy: a methodological study. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY, v. 25, n. 3, p. 233-241, MAY-JUN 2021. (16/17853-4)

NASCIMENTO, DAFNE PORT; GONZALEZ, GABRIELLE ZOLDAN; ARAUJO, AMANDA COSTA; COSTA, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA PENA. Journal impact factor is associated with PRISMA endorsement, but not with the methodological quality of low back pain systematic reviews: a methodological review. EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL, NOV 2019. (16/17853-4)