The life and death of living systematic reviews: a methodological survey

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: ea32@aub.edu.lb.
² Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Doha, Qatar; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Doha, Qatar.
³ Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK.
⁴ Outcomes and Implementation Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
⁵ Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, C/Sant Quintí, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Av. de Monforte de Lemos, 5, 28029 Spain.
⁶ Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020 Lebanon.
⁷ Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸ Emergency Medicine Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020 Lebanon.
⁹ Wegner Health Sciences Library, University of South Dakota, 1400 W 22nd St, Sioux Falls, SD 57106, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Ontario, Canada; MGD DeGroote Cochrane Canada and McGRADE Centers, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Canada; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele (Milano), Italy; Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹¹ Cochrane Central Executive, Cochrane, London, St Albans House, 57-59, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.

PMID: 36764466
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.02.005

Review

The life and death of living systematic reviews: a methodological survey

Elie A Akl et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2023 Apr.

. 2023 Apr:156:11-21.

doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.02.005. Epub 2023 Feb 9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: ea32@aub.edu.lb.
² Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Doha, Qatar; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, Doha, Qatar.
³ Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK.
⁴ Outcomes and Implementation Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
⁵ Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, C/Sant Quintí, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Av. de Monforte de Lemos, 5, 28029 Spain.
⁶ Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020 Lebanon.
⁷ Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸ Emergency Medicine Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020 Lebanon.
⁹ Wegner Health Sciences Library, University of South Dakota, 1400 W 22nd St, Sioux Falls, SD 57106, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Ontario, Canada; MGD DeGroote Cochrane Canada and McGRADE Centers, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, 1280 Main Street West 2C Area, Canada; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele (Milano), Italy; Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
¹¹ Cochrane Central Executive, Cochrane, London, St Albans House, 57-59, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX, UK.

PMID: 36764466
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.02.005

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to describe the characteristics of living systematic reviews (LSRs) and to understand their life cycles.

Study design and setting: We conducted a comprehensive search up to April 2021 then selected articles and abstracted data in duplicate and independently. We undertook descriptive analyses and calculated delay in version update and delay since the last published version.

Results: We included 76 eligible LSRs with a total of 279 eligible versions. The majority of LSRs was from the clinical field (70%), was COVID-19 related (63%), and had a funding source specified (62%). The median number of versions per LSR was 2 (interquartile range (IQR) 1-4; range 1-19). The median and IQR for the ratio of the actual period of update to the planned period of update was 1.12 (0.81; 1.71). Out of all reviews with a 'planned period of update' and at least one update (N = 19), eight LSRs (42%) had a period since last published version greater than 3 times the planned period of update. No LSR included a 'retirement notice' in their latest published version.

Conclusion: While most LSR complied with the planned period of producing updates, a substantive proportion lagged since their last update.

Keywords: Living systematic reviews; Methodology; Network meta-analysis; Publication; Systematic reviews; Update.

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The life and death of living systematic reviews: a methodological survey

Affiliations

The life and death of living systematic reviews: a methodological survey

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous