Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38582929›Full record

ArticleSystematic reviews2024

Tools for assessing the methodological limitations of a QES-a short note.

Heid Nøkleby, Heather Melanie R Ames, Lars Jørun Langøien, Christine Hillestad Hestevik

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Systematic reviews, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

4 authors.

Heid NøklebyNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. heid.nokleby@fhi.no.ORCID 0009-0008-9844-7279
Heather Melanie R AmesNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Lars Jørun LangøienNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Christine Hillestad HestevikNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The increasing prevalence and application of qualitative evidence syntheses (QES) in decision-making processes underscore the need for robust tools to assess the methodological limitations of a completed QES. This commentary discusses the limitations of three existing tools and presents the authors' efforts to address this gap. Through a simple comparative analysis, the three tools are examined in terms of their coverage of essential topic areas. The examination finds that existing assessment tools lack comprehensive coverage, clarity, and grounding in qualitative research principles. The authors advocate for the development of a new collaboratively developed evidence-based tool rooted in qualitative methodology and best practice methods. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity of a tool that can provide a comprehensive judgement on the methodological limitations of a QES, addressing the needs of end-users, and ultimately enhancing the trustworthiness of QES findings in decision-making processes.

Indexed as

Evidence-Based MedicineHumansQualitative ResearchAssessment toolMethodological limitationsQESQualitative evidence synthesis

Identifiers

PMID38582929
PMCPMC10998420

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.