Additional considerations are required when preparing a protocol for a systematic review with multiple interventions

作者：Chaimani Anna^*; Caldwell Deborah M; Li Tianjing; Higgins Julian P T; Salanti Georgia

来源：Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2017, 83: 65-74.

DOI：10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.11.015

• Comparative effectiveness review
• Eligibility criteria
• Transitivity
• Network meta-analysis
• Indirect comparison
• Mixed treatment comparison

Objectives: The number of systematic reviews that aim to compare multiple interventions using network meta-analysis is increasing. In this study, we highlight aspects of a standard systematic review protocol that may need modification when multiple interventions are to be compared.
Study Design and Setting: We take the protocol format suggested by Cochrane for a standard systematic review as our reference and compare the considerations for a pairwise review with those required for a valid comparison of multiple interventions. We suggest new sections for protocols of systematic reviews including network meta-analyses with a focus on how to evaluate their assumptions. We provide example text from published protocols to exemplify the considerations.
Conclusion: Standard systematic review protocols for pairwise meta-analyses need extensions to accommodate the increased complexity of network meta-analysis. Our suggested modifications are widely applicable to both Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews involving network meta-analyses.

• 出版日期2017-3