Reporting Checklist for UK NSC Evidence Summaries

Reporting checklist for UK NSC evidence summaries

This checklist is intended for use by reviewers, and the UK NSC evidence team, to document the approach taken to producing an evidence summary for the UK National Screening Committee. The purpose is to help ensure the transparency of the literature review.

Section/topic / No. / Item / Page no.
TITLE
Cover sheet / 1 / Identify the report as a UK NSC (rapid) review.
REVIEW SUMMARIES
Plain English Summary / 2 / Plain English version of the executive summary.
Executive Summary / 3 / Structured overview of the whole report. To include: the purpose/aim of the review; background; previous recommendations; major findings and gaps in the evidence; recommendations on screening that can or cannot be made on the basis of the report.
INTRODUCTION
Background and objectives / 4 / What is already known – for example reference to details of previous review, recommendations made, gaps identified, statement of the key questions, their source, criteria they address and number of included papers per question.
METHODS (FOR EACH KEY QUESTION)
Eligibility for inclusion / 5 / Specify study characteristics considered for inclusion (e.g., with reference to PICO) and report characteristics (e.g., years considered, language, publication status) used as criteria for eligibility, rationale.
Databases searched / 6 / Details of all databases searched (including interface and coverage dates), and date of final search.
Search / 7 / Full search strategy for at least one database, including limits and search filters applied.
Search results / 8 / Provide details of the total number of results from each database searched, number of duplicates removed, and the final number of unique records to be considered for inclusion.
Study selection / 9 / State the process for selecting studies - inclusion and exclusion criteria, number of reviewers, cross checking.
Appraisal for quality / risk of bias / 10 / Details of tool/checklist used to assess quality e.g. QUADAS 2, CASP, SIGN if used.
Summary measures and synthesis / 11 / State the principal summary measures (e.g., sensitivity/specificity, likelihood ratios, predictive values) and approach to synthesis (e.g., quality, quantity, generalisability and consistency).
RESULTS (FOR EACH QUESTION)
Question level description of the evidence / 12 / Give numbers of studies screened, assessed for eligibility, and included in the review, with summary of reasons for exclusions.
Study tables / 13 / For each study, present characteristics for which data were extracted (e.g., study size, PICOS, follow-up period) and provide the citations.
Quality / Risk of bias / 14 / In each study table present results of any assessment of quality / risk of bias.
Results of individual studies / 15 / For all outcomes considered, present, for each study: (a) simple summary on the key measures; (b) effect estimates and confidence intervals where provided.
Additional analyses / 16 / Describe additional analyses (e.g. sensitivity, specificity, PPV, etc.) undertaken by the reviewer.
DISCUSSION
Summary of findings / 17 / Summarize the main findings including the quality / risk of bias issues for each question.
Have the criteria addressed been ‘met’, ‘partially met’, ‘not met’ or ‘uncertain’?
Limitations / 18 / Discuss limitations of the available evidence and of the review methodology if relevant.
Conclusions / 19 / Do findings indicate whether screening should be recommended?
Is further work warranted?
Are there gaps in the evidence highlighted by the review?