SynthesisBMJ global health2020
Safe management of bodies of deceased persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19: a rapid systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ global health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Factors affecting management of corpses of the confirmed COVID-19 patients during pandemic: A systematic review.Journal of forensic and legal medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Current perspectives of biomedical waste management in context of COVID-19".Indian journal of medical microbiology · 2021Pooled it
- On-site safety practices and knowledge in deathcare work: a phenomenological account of the lived-experiences of deathcare workers in Ghana.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Health and safety hazards and associated organisational and social support factors for deathcare workers: a global scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Lived Experiences of Deathcare Workers in Managing Infectious Dead Bodies.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Article
- Challenges of using body bags for COVID-19 deaths from the healthcare provider perspective - a qualitative study.BMJ open quality · 2024Article
- Rate of shed of SARS COV-2 viral RNA from COVID-19 cadavers.Journal of infection and public health · 2022Article
- A retrospective survey of death care practices and procedures in handling suspected and confirmed COVID-19 deceased bodies in the mortuary of a resource-poor tertiary healthcare facility in Uyo, South-South Nigeria.The Pan African medical journal · 2022Article
- Do We Really Need Hazard Prevention at the Expense of Safeguarding Death Dignity in COVID-19?Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Body Donation, Teaching, and Research in Dissection Rooms in Spain in Times of Covid-19.Anatomical sciences education · 2021Article
- Autopsies in pandemics - a perspective on barriers and benefits. Is it time for a revival?APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica · 2021Review
- Post-Mortem Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Long-Buried Lung Samples.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Guidelines for Mountain Rescue During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Official Guidelines of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue.High altitude medicine & biology · 2021Article
- Text mining approaches for dealing with the rapidly expanding literature on COVID-19.Briefings in bioinformatics · 2021Review
- Safe Management Strategies in Clinical Forensic Autopsies of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Perils of human remains examination in COVID-19 times.Journal of forensic and legal medicine · 2021Article
- Kenya's response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a balance between minimising morbidity and adverse economic impact.AAS open research · 2021Article
- Pathological Findings in COVID-19 as a Tool to Define SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis. A Systematic Review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- The Cadaver Conundrum: Sourcing and Anatomical Embalming of Human Dead Bodies by Medical Schools during and after COVID-19 Pandemic: Review and Recommendations.SN comprehensive clinical medicine · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
27 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionProper strategies to minimise the risk of infection in individuals handling the bodies of deceased persons infected with 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) are urgently needed. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature to scope and assess the effects of specific strategies for the management of the bodies.
methodsWe searched five general, three Chinese and four coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-specific electronic databases. We searched registries of clinical trials, websites of governmental and other relevant organisations, reference lists of the included papers and relevant systematic reviews, and Epistemonikos for relevant systematic reviews. We included guidance documents providing practical advice on the handling of bodies of deceased persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Then, we sought primary evidence of any study design reporting on the efficacy and safety of the identified strategies in coronaviruses. We included evidence relevant to contextual factors (ie, acceptability). A single reviewer extracted data using a pilot-tested form and graded the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach. A second reviewer verified the data and assessments.
resultsWe identified one study proposing an uncommon strategy for autopsies for patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome. The study provided very low-certainty evidence that it reduced the risk of transmission. We identified 23 guidance documents providing practical advice on the steps of handling the bodies: preparation, packing, and others and advice related to both the handling of the dead bodies and the use of personal protective equipment by individuals handling them. We did not identify COVID-19 evidence relevant to any of these steps.
conclusionWhile a substantive number of guidance documents propose specific strategies, we identified no study providing direct evidence for the effects of any of those strategies. While this review highlights major research gaps, it allows interested entities to build their own guidance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.