Abstract
ImportanceBurden of disease should impact research prioritisation. ObjectiveTo analyse the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) and determine whether systematic reviews and protocols accurately represent disease burden, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 Study. MethodsTwo investigators collected GBD disability metrics for 12 external causes of injury in the GBD 2010 Study. These external causes were then assessed for systematic review and protocol representation in CDSR. Data was collected during the month of April 2015. There were no study participants aside from the researchers. Percentage of total 2010 DALYs, 2010 DALY rank, and median DALY percent change from 1990 to 2010 of the 12 external causes of injury were compared with CDSR representation of systematic reviews and protocols. Data were analysed for correlation using Spearman rank correlation. ResultsEleven of the 12 causes were represented by at least one systematic review or protocol in CDSR; the category collective violence and legal intervention had no representation in CDSR. Correlation testing revealed a strong positive correlation that was statistically significant. Representation of road injury; interpersonal violence; fire, heat, and hot substances; mechanical forces; poisonings, adverse effect of medical treatment, and animal contact was well aligned with respect to DALY. Representation of falls was greater compared to DALY, while self-harm, exposure to forces of nature, and other transport injury representation was lower compared to DALY. Conclusions and relevanceCDSR representation of external causes of injury strongly correlates with disease burden. The number of systematic reviews and protocols was well aligned for seven out of 12 causes of injury. These results provide high-quality and transparent data that may guide future prioritisation decisions.
Highlights
Modern research is driven by many different incentives and motivations, making the allocation of available funding quite limited [1]
Search terms for the 12 external causes of injury yielded a total of 646 review and protocol titles, of which 459 were excluded due to lack of abstract content, objectives, or results focus on the particular cause of injury
Findings reported here are consistent with reports of weak association between global burden of disease and the number of published randomised trials [16] and moderate correlation between systematic reviews and DALYS across the entire Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [17]
Summary
Modern research is driven by many different incentives and motivations, making the allocation of available funding quite limited [1]. The Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health assembled a global panel of trauma and injury experts to identify research and technological advancement needs to reduce the burden of trauma and injuries in low- and middle-income countries [5]. While both of the described efforts strove to develop research agendas and prioritisation, neither takes into account the impact of injuries and trauma on particular populations. We hope to expand upon these efforts by providing transparent data on the global burden of injuries and trauma with corresponding systematic review representation
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