Abstract
BackgroundSystematic reviews are infrequently used by health care managers (HCMs) and policy-makers (PMs) in decision-making. HCMs and PMs co-developed and tested novel systematic review of effects formats to increase their use.MethodsA three-phased approach was used to evaluate the determinants to uptake of systematic reviews of effects and the usability of an innovative and a traditional systematic review of effects format. In phase 1, survey and interviews were conducted with HCMs and PMs in four Canadian provinces to determine perceptions of a traditional systematic review format. In phase 2, systematic review format prototypes were created by HCMs and PMs via Conceptboard©. In phase 3, prototypes underwent usability testing by HCMs and PMs.ResultsTwo hundred two participants (80 HCMs, 122 PMs) completed the phase 1 survey. Respondents reported that inadequate format (Mdn = 4; IQR = 4; range = 1–7) and content (Mdn = 4; IQR = 3; range = 1–7) influenced their use of systematic reviews. Most respondents (76%; n = 136/180) reported they would be more likely to use systematic reviews if the format was modified. Findings from 11 interviews (5 HCMs, 6 PMs) revealed that participants preferred systematic reviews of effects that were easy to access and read and provided more information on intervention effectiveness and less information on review methodology. The mean System Usability Scale (SUS) score was 55.7 (standard deviation [SD] 17.2) for the traditional format; a SUS score < 68 is below average usability. In phase 2, 14 HCMs and 20 PMs co-created prototypes, one for HCMs and one for PMs. HCMs preferred a traditional information order (i.e., methods, study flow diagram, forest plots) whereas PMs preferred an alternative order (i.e., background and key messages on one page; methods and limitations on another). In phase 3, the prototypes underwent usability testing with 5 HCMs and 7 PMs, 11 out of 12 participants co-created the prototypes (mean SUS score 86 [SD 9.3]).ConclusionsHCMs and PMs co-created prototypes for systematic review of effects formats based on their needs. The prototypes will be compared to a traditional format in a randomized trial.
Highlights
Systematic reviews are infrequently used by health care managers (HCMs) and policy-makers (PMs) in decision-making
Given that substantial barriers to systematic review uptake are attributed to lengthy reviews that include irrelevant content, findings lacking contextualization, and facilitators such as shorten summaries promote use [14], our objectives were to collaborate with knowledge users (i.e., HCMs and PMs) to identify intrinsic barriers and facilitators to using systematic reviews of effects and to develop and test the usability of prototypes of systematic review of effects formats that better meet the needs of these knowledge users
Phase 1: identifying key barriers and facilitators to using systematic reviews and preferences for format and layout Participants’ characteristics A total of 267 survey responses were received, and of these, 202 responses were included in the analyses with 65
Summary
Systematic reviews are infrequently used by health care managers (HCMs) and policy-makers (PMs) in decision-making. HCMs and PMs co-developed and tested novel systematic review of effects formats to increase their use. Research evidence is generated at a rapid rate, it is not readily available to relevant knowledge users, and when it is available, it is suboptimally applied [4]. The high volume of research highlights the need for systematic reviews to facilitate knowledge management and evidence uptake (i.e., access and application of knowledge). For policy-makers (PMs) and health care managers (HCMs), evidence is just one component of decision-making and various contextual factors exist that will influence decision-making; this highlights the critical role to ensure that evidence is accessible to decision makers and understood
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