Enhancing the usability of systematic reviews by improving the consideration and description of interventions
Hoffmann TC., Oxman AD., Ioannidis JPA., Moher D., Lasserson TJ., Tovey DI., Stein K., Sutcliffe K., Ravaud P., Altman DG., Perera R., Glasziou P.
© Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2017. The importance of adequate intervention descriptions in minimising research waste and improving research usability and reproducibility has gained attention in the past few years. Nearly all focus to date has been on intervention reporting in randomised trials. Yet clinicians are encouraged to use systematic reviews, whenever available, rather than single trials to inform their practice. This article explores the problem and implications of incomplete intervention details during the planning, conduct, and reporting of systematic reviews and makes recommendations for review authors, peer reviewers, and journal editors.