Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Pediatrics
Published in: BMC Pediatrics 1/2002

Open Access 01-12-2002 | Research article

Assessing the quality of reports of systematic reviews in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine

Authors: David Moher, Karen Soeken, Margaret Sampson, Leah Ben-Porat, Brian Berman

Published in: BMC Pediatrics | Issue 1/2002

Login to get access

Abstract

Objective

To examine the quality of reports of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) systematic reviews in the pediatric population. We also examined whether there were differences in the quality of reports of a subset of CAM reviews compared to reviews using conventional interventions.

Methods

We assessed the quality of reports of 47 CAM systematic reviews and 19 reviews evaluating a conventional intervention. The quality of each report was assessed using a validated 10-point scale.

Results

Authors were particularly good at reporting: eligibility criteria for including primary studies, combining the primary studies for quantitative analysis appropriately, and basing their conclusions on the data included in the review. Reviewers were weak in reporting: how they avoided bias in the selection of primary studies, and how they evaluated the validity of the primary studies. Overall the reports achieved 43% (median = 3) of their maximum possible total score. The overall quality of reporting was similar for CAM reviews and conventional therapy ones.

Conclusions

Evidence based health care continues to make important contributions to the well being of children. To ensure the pediatric community can maximize the potential use of these interventions, it is important to ensure that systematic reviews are conducted and reported at the highest possible quality. Such reviews will be of benefit to a broad spectrum of interested stakeholders.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Davidoff F, Haynes RB, Sackett D, Smith R: Evidence-based medicine: a new journal to help doctors identify the information they need. BMJ. 1995, 310: 1085-6.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
2.
3.
Sacks HS, Reitman D, Pagano D, Kupelnick B: Meta-analysis: an update. Mt Sinai J. 1996, 63: 216-24.
4.
Shea B, Moher D, Pham B, Graham I, Tugwell P: The quality of reporting of meta-analyses. Evaluation & The Health Professions. 2002, 25: 116-129. 10.1177/0163278702025001008.CrossRef
5.
Jadad AR, Moher M, Browman GP, Booker L, Sigouin C, Fuentes M, et al: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on treatment of asthma: critical evaluation. BMJ. 2000, 320: 537-40. 10.1136/bmj.320.7234.537.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Linde K, Vickers A, Hondras M, ter Riet G, Thormahlen J, Berman B, et al: Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 1: Acupuncture. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 2001, 1: 3-10.1186/1472-6882-1-3.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
7.
Linde K, Hondras M, Vickers A, Riet GG, Melchart D: Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 3: Homeopathy. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 2001, 1: 4-10.1186/1472-6882-1-4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
8.
Linde K, ter Riet G, Hondras M, Vickers A, Saller R, Melchart D: Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 2: Herbal medicine. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 2001, 1: 5-10.1186/1472-6882-1-5.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
9.
10.
McAuley L, Pham B, Tugwell P, Moher D: Does the inclusion of grey literature influence estimates of intervention effectiveness reported in meta-analyses?. Lancet. 2000, 356: 1228-31. 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02786-0.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Moher D, Pham , Klassen TP, Schulz KF, Berlin JA, Jadad AR, et al: What contributions do languages other than English make on the results of meta-analyses?. J clin Epidemiol. 2000, 53: 964-72. 10.1016/S0895-4356(00)00188-8.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Moher D, Pham B, Jones A, Cook DJ, Jadad AR, Moher M, et al: Does quality of reports of randomised trials affect estimates of intervention efficacy reported in meta-analyses?. Lancet. 1998, 352: 609-13. 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)01085-X.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Sampson M, Barrowman NJ, Moher D, Klassen TP, Pham B, Platt R, et al: Should meta-analysts search Embase in addition to Medline?. Submitted. 2001
14.
Oxman AD, Guyatt GH: Validation of an index of the quality of review articles. J Clin Epidemiol. 1991, 44: 1271-8.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Oxman AD, Guyatt GH, Singer J, Goldsmith CH, Hutchison BG, Milner RA, et al: Agreement among reviewers of review articles. J Clin Epidemiol. 1991, 44: 91-8.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Moher D, Klassen TP, Pham B, Lawson MW: Evidence of journal bias against Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Presented at the 4th International Peer Review Congress in Biomedical Publication, Barcelona,. 2001
17.
Campbell K, Sampson M, Ajiferuke I, Moher D: Publication characteristics of randomized controlled trials in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine. Submitted for publication. .
18.
Moher D, Sampson M, Campbell K, Beckner W, Lepage L, Gaboury I, Berman B: Assessing the quality of reports of randomized controlled trials in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine. Submitted for publication. BMC Pediatrics. 2002, 2: 2-10.1186/1471-2431-2-2.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
19.
Crowley P, Chalmers I, Keirse MJNC: The effects of corticosteroid administration before preterm delivery: an overview of the evidence from controlled trials. British Journal of Obsterics and Gynaecology. 1990, 97: 11-25.CrossRef
20.
Assendelft WJJ, Koes BW, Knipschild PG, Bouter LM: The relationship between methodological quality and conclusions in reviews of spinal manipulation. JAMA. 1995, 274: 1942-8. 10.1001/jama.274.24.1942.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Klassen TP, Jadad AR, Moher D: Guides for reading and interpreting systematic reviews: I. Getting started. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998, 152: 700-4.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Jadad AR, Moher D, Klassen TP: Guides for reading and interpreting systematic reviews. II. How did the authors find the studies and assess their quality?. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998, 152: 812-7.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Moher D, Jadad AR, Klassen TP: Guides for reading and interpreting systematic reviews. III. How did the authors synthesize the data and make their conclusions?. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998, 152: 915-20.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Egger M, Davey Smith G, Altman DG: Systematic reviews in health care: meta-analysis in context. BMJ Books,. 2001
25.
Moher D, Cook DJ, Eastwood S, OIkin I, Rennie D, Stroup DF, et al: Improving the quality of reports of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials: the QUOROM statement. Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses. Lancet. 1999, 354: 1896-900. 10.1016/S0140-6736(99)04149-5.CrossRefPubMed
26.
27.
Moher D, Pham B, Lawson M, Klassen TP: The inclusion of reports of randomized trials published in languages other than English in systematic reviews. Submitted for publication. .
28.
Liberati A, Himel HN, Chalmers TC: A quality assessment of randomized control trials of primary treatment of breast cancer. J Clin. 1986, 4: 942-51.
29.
Hadhazy V, Ezzo J, Berman B: How valuable is effort to contact authors to obtain missing data in systematic reviews. Presented at the VII Cochrane Colloquium, Rome, Italy. 1999
30.
The Cochrane Library. Oxford, Update Software. 2001, 1
31.
Nahim AM: Complementary medicine – new PubMed subset. NLM Technical Bulletin. 2001, 318: e7-
Metadata
Title
Assessing the quality of reports of systematic reviews in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine
Authors
David Moher
Karen Soeken
Margaret Sampson
Leah Ben-Porat
Brian Berman
Publication date
01-12-2002
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pediatrics / Issue 1/2002
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2431
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-2-3

Other articles of this Issue 1/2002

BMC Pediatrics 1/2002 Go to the issue

Research article

Adenovirus type 7 associated with severe and fatal acute lower respiratory infections in Argentine children

Research article

High incidence of Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus 6 infections in children with cancer

Research article

Acyclovir for treating varicella in otherwise healthy children and adolescents: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Research article

Hypnosis in pediatrics: applications at a pediatric pulmonary center

Case report

Neonatal presentation of ventricular tachycardia and a Reye-like syndrome episode associated with disturbed mitochondrial energy metabolism

Research article

The role of lumbar puncture in children with suspected central nervous system infection