Table 1.
Characteristics and quality scores assessed using the AMSTAR and PRISMA checklists
| Items | n (%) | AMSTAR Mean (SD)* | PRISMA Mean (SD)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||
| Systematic review only | 30 | 3·5 (2·0) | 9·0 (4·9) |
| Systematic review including meta‐analysis | 30 | 6·9 (2·3) | 17·4 (5·0) |
| Author origin | |||
| USA/Canada | 13 | 3·5 (2·3) | 8·8 (4·9) |
| Europe including UK | 15 | 5·7 (3·3) | 13·7 (8·1) |
| Asia‐Pacific | 26 | 5·9 (2·2) | 15·3 (4·8) |
| Other | 6 | 4·3 (3·1) | 12·2 (8·1) |
| Journal | |||
| Journal of Burn Care and Research/Burns | 32 | 4·5 (2·4) | 10·9 (5·9) |
| The Cochrane Library | 11 | 8·7 (0·8) | 20·4 (3·0) |
| General/specialist surgical journals | 4 | 4·3 (3·8) | 11·3 (7·3) |
| General/specialist medical journals | 13 | 4·2 (2·0) | 13·5 (5·8) |
| Study category | |||
| Scar | 5 | 4·8 (3·1) | 10·6 (5·9) |
| Wound care | 22 | 5·7 (2·8) | 14·4 (6·9) |
| Rehabilitation and injury prevention | 9 | 5·8 (3·1) | 14·1 (6·1) |
| Pain management | 5 | 4·0 (1·4) | 11·0 (6·3) |
| Acute care practices | 19 | 4·7 (2·7) | 12·6 (6·7) |
| Study intervention | |||
| Pharmacology | 9 | 6·0 (2·3) | 15·3 (6·3) |
| Scar treatments | 4 | 4·0 (2·9) | 8·5 (5·8) |
| Acute care practices | 44 | 5·2 (2·8) | 13·3 (6·6) |
| Rehabilitation | 3 | 4·7 (3·1) | 11·3 (5·0) |
| Number of studies per review | |||
| 5 or less | 16 | 6·3 (2·6) | 15·3 (5·4) |
| 6–10 | 16 | 5·1 (2·4) | 13·4 (6·1) |
| 10+ | 26 | 4·8 (2·9) | 12·2 (7·3) |
| Can't answer | 2 | 2·5 (0·7) | 7·5 (3·5) |
| RCT identified | |||
| No | 18 | 3·9 (2·9) | 9·6 (5·8) |
| Yes | 38 | 6·1 (2·3) | 15·6 (5·9) |
| Can't answer | 4 | 2·2 (1·0) | 6·8 (2·5) |
RCT, randomised controlled trial; SD, standard deviation; UK, United Kingdom; USA, United States of America.
*
Total score (AMSTAR maximum total score = 11; PRISMA maximum total score = 27)