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. 2022 Aug 22;38(1):78–96. doi: 10.1177/08258597221120707

Appendix 1.

AMSTAR checklist for critical appraisal of systematic reviews.28 Boxes are checked for the one systematic review that was included in this scoping review.

1. Did the research questions and inclusion criteria for the review include the components of PICO?
For Yes: Optional (recommended)
Inline graphic Population Inline graphic Timeframe for follow up Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic Intervention
Inline graphic Comparator group
Inline graphic Outcome
2. Did the report of the review contain an explicit statement that the review methods were established prior to the conduct of the review and did the report justify any significant deviations from the protocol?
For Partial Yes:
The authors state that they had a written protocol or guide that included ALL the following:
For Yes:
As for partial yes, plus the protocol should be registered and should also have specified:
Inline graphic review question(s) Inline graphic a meta-analysis/synthesis plan, if appropriate, and Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic a search strategy Inline graphic a plan for investigating causes of heterogeneity
Inline graphic inclusion/exclusion criteria Inline graphic a plan for investigating causes of heterogeneity
Inline graphic a risk of bias assessment
3. Did the review authors explain their selection of the study designs for inclusion in the review?
For Yes, the review should satisfy ONE of the following:
Inline graphic Explanation for including only RCTs Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic OR Explanation for including only NRSI
Inline graphic OR Explanation for including both RCTs and NRSI
4. Did the review authors use a comprehensive literature search strategy?
For Partial Yes (all the following): For Yes, should also have (all the following):
Inline graphic searched at least 2 databases (relevant to research question) Inline graphic searched the reference lists / bibliographies of included studies Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic provided key word and/or search strategy Inline graphic searched trial/study registries
Inline graphic justified publication restrictions (eg language) Inline graphic included/consulted content experts in the field
Inline graphic where relevant, searched for grey literature
Inline graphic conducted search within 24 months of completion of the review
5. Did the review authors perform study selection in duplicate?
For Yes, either ONE of the following:
Inline graphic at least two reviewers independently agreed on selection of eligible studies and achieved consensus on which studies to include Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic OR two reviewers selected a sample of eligible studies and achieved good agreement (at least 80%), with the remainder selected by one reviewer.
6. Did the review authors perform data extraction in duplicate?
For Yes, either ONE of the following:
Inline graphic at least two reviewers achieved consensus on which data to extract from included studies Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic OR two reviewers extracted data from a sample of eligible studies and achieved good agreement (at least 80%), with the remainder extracted by one reviewer.
7. Did the review authors provide a list of excluded studies and justify the exclusions?
For Partial Yes: For Yes, must also have:
Inline graphic provided a list of all potentially relevant studies that were read in full-text form but excluded from the review Inline graphic Justified the exclusion from the review of each potentially relevant study Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
8. Did the review authors describe the included studies in adequate detail?
For Partial Yes (ALL the following): For Yes, should also have ALL the following:
Inline graphic described populations Inline graphic described population in detail Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic described interventions Inline graphic described intervention in detail (including doses where relevant)
Inline graphic described comparators Inline graphic described comparator in detail (including doses where relevant)
Inline graphic described outcomes Inline graphic described study's setting
Inline graphic described research designs Inline graphic timeframe for follow-up
9. Did the review authors use a satisfactory technique for assessing the risk of bias (RoB) in individual studies that were included in the review?
RCTs
For Partial Yes, must have assessed RoB from For Yes, must also have assessed RoB from:
Inline graphic unconcealed allocation, and Inline graphic allocation sequence that was not truly random, and Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic Includes only NRSI
Inline graphic lack of blinding of patients and assessors when assessing outcomes (unnecessary for objective outcomes such as all-cause mortality) Inline graphic selection of the reported result from among multiple measurements or analyses of a specified outcome
NRSI
For Partial Yes, must have assessed RoB: For Yes, must also have assessed RoB:
Inline graphic from confounding, and Inline graphic methods used to ascertain exposures and outcomes, and Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic Partial Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic Includes only RCTs
Inline graphic from selection bias Inline graphic selection of the reported result from among multiple measurements or analyses of a specified outcome
10. Did the review authors report on the sources of funding for the studies included in the review?
For Yes
Inline graphic Must have reported on the sources of funding for individual studies included in the review. Note: Reporting that the reviewers looked for this information but it was not reported by study authors also qualifies Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
11. If meta-analysis was performed did the review authors use appropriate methods for statistical combination of results?
RCTs
For Yes:
Inline graphic The authors justified combining the data in a meta-analysis Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic No meta-analysis conducted
Inline graphic AND they used an appropriate weighted technique to combine study results and adjusted for heterogeneity if present.
Inline graphic AND investigated the causes of any heterogeneity
For NRSI
For Yes:
Inline graphic The authors justified combining the data in a meta-analysis Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic No meta-analysis conducted
Inline graphic AND they used an appropriate weighted technique to combine study results, adjusting for heterogeneity if present
Inline graphic AND they statistically combined effect estimates from NRSI that were adjusted for confounding, rather than combining raw data, or justified combining raw data when adjusted effect estimates were not available
Inline graphic AND they reported separate summary estimates for RCTs and NRSI separately when both were included in the review
12. If meta-analysis was performed, did the review authors assess the potential impact of RoB in individual studies on the results of the meta-analysis or other evidence synthesis?
For Yes:
Inline graphic included only low risk of bias RCTs Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic No meta-analysis conducted
Inline graphic OR, if the pooled estimate was based on RCTs and/or NRSI at variable RoB, the authors performed analyses to investigate possible impact of RoB on summary estimates of effect.
13. Did the review authors account for RoB in individual studies when interpreting/ discussing the results of the review?
For Yes:
Inline graphic included only low risk of bias RCTs Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic OR, if RCTs with moderate or high RoB, or NRSI were included the review provided a discussion of the likely impact of RoB on the results
14. Did the review authors provide a satisfactory explanation for, and discussion of, any heterogeneity observed in the results of the review?
For Yes:
Inline graphic There was no significant heterogeneity in the results Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic OR if heterogeneity was present the authors performed an investigation of sources of any heterogeneity in the results and discussed the impact of this on the results of the review
15. If they performed quantitative synthesis did the review authors carry out an adequate investigation of publication bias (small study bias) and discuss its likely impact on the results of the review?
For Yes:
Inline graphic performed graphical or statistical tests for publication bias and discussed the likelihood and magnitude of impact of publication bias Inline graphic Yes
Inline graphic No
Inline graphic No meta-analysis conducted
16. Did the review authors report any potential sources of conflict of interest, including any funding they received for conducting the review?
For Yes:
Inline graphic The authors reported no competing interests OR Inline graphic Yes Inline graphic No
Inline graphic The authors described their funding sources and how they managed potential conflicts of interest