Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33419479›Full record

ArticleSystematic reviews2021

The views of health guideline developers on the use of automation in health evidence synthesis.

Anneliese Arno, Julian Elliott, Byron Wallace, Tari Turner, James Thomas

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Systematic reviews, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Overcoming the challenges of using automated technologies for public health evidence synthesis.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2023
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Anneliese ArnoEPPI-Centre, UCL Social Science Research Institute, University College London, London, UK. anneliese.arno.17@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-5333-1781
Julian ElliottSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Byron WallaceKhoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, USA.
Tari TurnerSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
James ThomasEPPI-Centre, UCL Social Science Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe increasingly rapid rate of evidence publication has made it difficult for evidence synthesis-systematic reviews and health guidelines-to be continually kept up to date. One proposed solution for this is the use of automation in health evidence synthesis. Guideline developers are key gatekeepers in the acceptance and use of evidence, and therefore, their opinions on the potential use of automation are crucial.

methodsThe objective of this study was to analyze the attitudes of guideline developers towards the use of automation in health evidence synthesis. The Diffusion of Innovations framework was chosen as an initial analytical framework because it encapsulates some of the core issues which are thought to affect the adoption of new innovations in practice. This well-established theory posits five dimensions which affect the adoption of novel technologies: Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability, and Observability. Eighteen interviews were conducted with individuals who were currently working, or had previously worked, in guideline development. After transcription, a multiphase mixed deductive and grounded approach was used to analyze the data. First, transcripts were coded with a deductive approach using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation as the top-level themes. Second, sub-themes within the framework were identified using a grounded approach.

resultsParticipants were consistently most concerned with the extent to which an innovation is in line with current values and practices (i.e., Compatibility in the Diffusion of Innovations framework). Participants were also concerned with Relative Advantage and Observability, which were discussed in approximately equal amounts. For the latter, participants expressed a desire for transparency in the methodology of automation software. Participants were noticeably less interested in Complexity and Trialability, which were discussed infrequently. These results were reasonably consistent across all participants.

conclusionsIf machine learning and other automation technologies are to be used more widely and to their full potential in systematic reviews and guideline development, it is crucial to ensure new technologies are in line with current values and practice. It will also be important to maximize the transparency of the methods of these technologies to address the concerns of guideline developers.

Indexed as

Systematic Reviews as TopicAutomationHumansAutomationDiffusion of InnovationEvidence synthesisGuideline developmentMachine learningSystematic reviews

Identifiers

PMID33419479
PMCPMC7796617

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.