Systematic Review Protocol Research Articles

Effectiveness of early childhood education interventions to improve complementary feeding practices in children 4 to 36 months of age: a systematic review protocol.

Healthy eating habits, which start with food introduction, can influence children's growth and development. Therefore, the educational actions carried out at school for children who are beginning to eat, involving families and school staff who attend daycare centers, can serve as strategies to improve complementary feeding practices. This review will analyze the effectiveness of early childhood education interventions to improve complementary feeding practices in children aged 4 to 36 months. The review will consider randomized clinical trials, cluster-randomized clinical trials, and controlled clinical trials that evaluate the effectiveness of early childhood education interventions involving children aged 4 to 36 months, their families, or school staff to improve complementary feeding. In their absence, observational cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies may be considered. This review will be conducted in line with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness. The search for relevant studies will be conducted in PubMed, Embase (Ovid), BIREME, Scopus, the Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and the ProQuest Databases (ProQuest Central). No date or language limitation will be applied. Two independent reviewers will select studies by screening titles, abstracts, and keywords against the inclusion criteria. This will be followed by full-text screening. Two independent reviewers will then conduct the study method quality evaluation and data extraction. GRADEpro will be used to assess the certainty in the findings, which will be reported in a systematic review, and, if possible, grouped in a meta-analysis. PROSPERO CRD42022384704.

Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis for randomized clinical trials on patiromer efficacy and safety in subjects with heart failure

Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis for randomized clinical trials on patiromer efficacy and safety in subjects with heart failure

Interculturality in the Development of Technology-Mediated Courses for Massive Health Education: A Systematic Review.

Virtual Learning Environments have become innovative tools in health professionals education. Through Massive Open Online Courses, they enable different ways of connecting with knowledge, facilitating study autonomy, interaction, and closer alignment with professional practices and the context of course participants. MOOCs comprise an educational strategy for many fields, including health. As they educate health professionals about a variety of practices, MOOCs play a crucial role in interculturality by enabling professionals to approach cultural diversity in work settings. This study provides a review of the literature investigating the element of interculturality in the production of healthcare-related MOOCs intended for a variety of audiences, including practicing healthcare professionals, healthcare professional trainees, and the general public. Based on a systematic review protocol, we searched for peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2023 in Science Direct, PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus. Fifteen studies were selected for final analysis, which highlighted MOOC development, its underlying processes, and its importance in promoting health and social well-being. MOOCs have (1) provided new approaches to technology-mediated learning in distance health education, (2) aided training, (3) disseminated knowledge, and (4) promoted interculturality. Continuous collaboration and innovation in MOOC development are essential to ensure their effectiveness and relevance in the contemporary educational scenario.

Psychological well-being of travellers on long-distance shipping voyages: A systematic review protocol

The psychosocial well-being of every individual is as important as the well-being of long-distance voyages, especially that they have to spend longer hours and days travelling to their destinations with all the experiences of adventure and adversities characterizing the journey. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the psychosocial well-being of long-distance travellers on board shipping vessels to gain an understanding of their psychological and social well-being with the objective of ameliorating the adversities associated with these travels. A systematic review will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (2020) statement. The databases to be searched for the data will be limited to Scopus, Web of Science, and Advanced Google Scholar using keywords selected by the reviewers. Meta-analysis, narrative synthesis, or both will be used depending on the extent of heterogeneity across eligible observational studies included in the review. Some specific countries will be selected for data extraction, and only data published in English will be included. It is expected that the findings from this review will bring to bear if these categories of travellers are prone to risks that affect their psychosocial wellbeing and if so discovered. This protocol was registered with the PROSPERO. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024517277(08/03/2024)

Efficacy of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotics in improving growth in children under age five years in Africa: A protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Stunting is among the main obstacles to human development affecting millions of children worldwide, particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Randomized clinical trials have shown the positive effects of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in improving growth in children and toddlers. However, although the global mobilization to tackle its challenges in their different aspects is visible, it remains to define effective large-scale up interventions and strategies to obtain long-lasting impacts. Objective: The objective of this review is to re-evaluate the efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics, and/or synbiotics on growth in children 0 to 5 years in Africa including recently published studies. Methods: Systematic search will be carried out in Pubmed, Science Direct, clinicaltrial.org, and Google Scholar. Both randomized and observational studies that assess the association between prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics, and health benefits and growth in children under 5 years of age will be included in the review. PRISMA-P (preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols) will be used used for this protocol, and PRISMA will be used for the systematic review. The Cochrane Risk Assessment Tool will be used to assess the quality of eligible studies. If the compiled data are appropriate and sufficient enough, we will perform a meta-analysis using RevMan software. Conclusion: This review will provide up-to-date and reliable information on the efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics on the growth of children under 5 years of age especially in developing countries. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022343138.

Utility of respiratory viral testing in the risk stratification of young febrile infants presenting to emergency care settings: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionFebrile infants under 3 months of age are at risk of invasive bacterial infection (IBI). It is currently unclear if testing for respiratory viruses may have a role in IBI...

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes From 2009 to 2023: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

In 2009, Gary and colleagues reviewed prior research examining racial and ethnic differences in outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Over the past 15 years, advances in research and changes in the demographic composition of the United States warrant a comprehensive understanding of racial and ethnic disparities after TBI. A systematic review will be conducted to examine racial and ethnic differences in TBI outcomes from 2009 to 2023. Preliminary searches and study screening processes will identify relevant English-language articles published from January 2009 to December 2023 using the CINAHL, Gale OneFile, PsycINFO (Ovid), and PubMed electronic databases. Relevant articles will include quantitative or mixed method approaches, involve individuals with TBI or their caregivers, and compare 2 or more groups by race or ethnicity on post-TBI outcomes. Quality will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. This systematic review protocol was developed following PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) guidelines. Results will be summarized, and a subgroup analysis may be conducted based on demographics (eg, age, gender, or sex). We have already identified abstracts using the search strategy for all 4 of the included electronic databases. We recently updated the search and will begin abstract screening of the additional abstracts identified from the last search completed in January 2024. This systematic review is anticipated to be completed by fall 2024, and its findings will be disseminated to the scientific community, persons with TBI, caregivers, and the lay audience. This systematic review will advance our understanding regarding outcome disparities among minoritized individuals with TBI, examine progress over the past 15 years in minimizing barriers encountered by these racial and ethnic groups, and provide professionals with a roadmap illustrating existing gaps in rehabilitation care, making way for further development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve health equity in TBI outcomes. PROSPERO CRD42023394529; https://tinyurl.com/53mtcz9b. PRR1-10.2196/58763.

Phytotherapy as an alternative approach in oral candidiasis management: A systematic review protocol

Background Conventional antifungal therapies, including topical applications, are effective against oral candidiasis but have limitations such as resistance development and cytotoxicity especially for immunocompromised patients. Phytotherapy presents a promising alternative, offering potential solutions to these challenges. However, despite numerous clinical trials, there is a lack of standardized protocols for phytotherapeutic applications. This systematic review protocol seeks to evaluate the potential of phytotherapy as an alternative treatment for oral candidiasis and compare its efficacy with standard antifungal therapies. Protocol This protocol aims to assess the effectiveness of phytotherapy compared to standard antifungal treatments for oral candidiasis. Initially, controlled descriptors in MeSH terms (e.g., “Candidiasis, Oral,” “Phytotherapy”) and keywords were selected from MEDLINE and combined using Boolean operators (‘AND’, ‘OR’) to create a comprehensive search strategy. Titles and abstracts will be screened by two independent reviewers to select studies that meet the inclusion criteria. The quality and risk of bias of the selected studies will be assessed afterward. Data will be gathered using standardized tools and subsequently synthesized for analysis. Discrepancies between reviewers will be settled through discussion, or, if required, by involving a third reviewer. Discussion Results obtained from this systematic review will describe various natural compounds like essential oils, herbal extracts, and bioactive plant ingredients that exhibit antifungal properties used against oral candidiasis and will evaluate their effectiveness in comparison to standard antifungal treatments. Systematic review registration PROSPERO: CRD42024584029 (Registered on 07/09/2024)

Dimensions of ethical consumption: A systematic review and future outlook

AbstractUN's sustainable development goals view ethical consumption as a multi‐dimensional construct addressing production and consumption‐related sustainability challenges. The present study is the first to assimilate the five dimensions of ethical consumption—concern for environment, love of organic, preference for fair trade, regard for animal welfare, and anti‐consumption/boycott movements—in a single review. This framework‐based review using Theory‐Context‐Characteristic‐Methods (TCCM) and employing Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR‐4 SLR) protocol, thoroughly synthesizes the state of knowledge, identifies research gaps and proposes directions for future research in ethical consumption. The authors review 123 articles from 2000 to 2024 sourced from SCOPUS by thoroughly examining antecedents, mediators, moderators, outcome variables, and interrelationships for all five dimensions. The authors recommend applying new consumer personality theories instead of familiar frameworks, adopting qualitative methods and longitudinal designs with multicultural and cross‐national focus, and testing novel mediation and moderation mechanisms in clarifying interrelationships.

Prevalence of teenage pregnancy and associated factors in Uganda: a meta-analysis and systematic reviews protocol

IntroductionTeenage pregnancy is a major public health problem with huge consequences for maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. More than 90% of these live births are estimated to occur in developing...

Antifungal combinations in paediatric invasive fungal infections: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) significantly impact immunocompromised paediatric patients, contributing to high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite the evolution of antifungal therapy, the efficacy and safety of combination antifungal therapies in paediatric patients, especially those with haematological malignancies, remain controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis seeks to critically evaluate the efficacy and safety of antifungal combinations in paediatric IFIs. We will conduct a search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, BMJ and Springer databases to include randomised controlled trials and observational studies focused on combination antifungal therapies in paediatric patients under 18 years with IFIs, using COVIDENCE for data management and analysis, ensuring rigorous quality assessment and statistical integrity in synthesising data. The time frame for the search will encompass publications from the inception of each database to the present, ensuring a comprehensive coverage of the literature. The database search will not be restricted by date. The review will assess combined antifungal treatment against placebo or single-antifungal therapy, examining outcomes like response rates, survival, mortality, adverse effects, cost-effectiveness and quality of life. The review will be disseminated to healthcare professionals, community groups and policy-makers via journal publication and conference presentations to help them tailor antifungal prophylaxis treatment and outcomes for paediatric patients with IFIs. The analysis will not include any individual patient data, so ethical approval is not required. CRD42024503620.

A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of nutraceuticals with special reference to Ahara Dravya (food articles) in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Different Aushadi (drugs) are indicated for Prameha (diabetes mellitus) in Ayurveda, with some serving as nutraceuticals. Still, their efficacy and safety need to be investigated. A systematic review will be conducted, including both published and relevant unpublished randomized controlled trials of selected nutraceuticals in diabetes mellitus. For the meta-analysis, only published studies will be considered. Searches will be executed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Shodhganga: A reservoir for Indian theses, Digital Helpline for Ayurveda Research Articles, and AYUSH Research Portal, along with dissertation and thesis works in the public domain, unpublished studies from websites of university/institution, as well as other possible sources. Two reviewers will independently select studies, extract data, and synthesize results. A third reviewer will address disagreement. Robinson Risk of Bias 2 tool will be used to evaluate bias. Meta-analysis of extracted data will be performed through Review Manager Web software focusing on fasting blood sugar levels and glycosylated hemoglobin and reported adverse events if any. The strength of the shreds of evidence and reliability will be analyzed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. Findings will be presented using appropriate statistical methodology and interpreted accordingly. This study will comprehensively assess the selected nutraceuticals in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), demonstrating their efficacy and safety in preventing and managing T2DM. The conclusion may be drawn based on the resultant outcome of the impact of selected nutraceuticals on T2DM. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024529448.

Effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for pain management in patients with cancer:a protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

IntroductionPain management in patients with cancer is a critical aspect of oncological care, yet remains challenging with current pharmacological therapies. Non-pharmacological interventions, offering potential benefits without the adverse effects of...

Using artificial intelligence for bladder cancer detection during cystoscopy and its impact on clinical outcomes: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionCystoscopy has revolutionised the process of diagnosing bladder cancer leading to better categorisation of risk levels and more precise treatment plans. Nonetheless, concerns arise about the lack of uniformity among...

Analytical modelling techniques for enhancing tacrolimus dosing in solid organ transplantation: a systematic review protocol.

Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressant commonly administered in transplant recipients. Given its narrow therapeutic range and susceptibility to various influencing variables, determining its optimal dosage is challenging. This systematic review seeks to identify effective analytical modelling techniques and methods for optimal tacrolimus dose prediction in solid transplant recipients. This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. The study will review the literature published from database inception to 11 March 2024, that assesses predictive models of tacrolimus dosing through analytical modelling techniques. We will include both randomised and non-randomised, as well as cross-sectional, qualitative and before-and-after studies and will perform our searches in four main databases-Ovid/MEDLINE, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science, and search engines including Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Google Scholar. Papers that are not published in English or French are excluded from this study. A narrative synthesis and meta-analysis will be done if the extracted information permits such analysis. Conference abstracts will be ignored unless they are recent (published within 2 years of the search date). Ethics clearance is not required for this study as no primary data will be collected. The completed manuscript will be published, and the results of the study will be presented at conferences. International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), CRD42024537212.

General practitioners delivering physical activity counselling in Australia: a systematic review protocol

General practitioners delivering physical activity counselling in Australia: a systematic review protocol

Influence of temperament on early neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionSeveral studies have highlighted the role of temperament as a relevant construct to understand the wide variability observed in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit...

Economic burden and economic impact associated with non-communicable diseases among countries of the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region: a systematic review protocol.

The objective of this systematic review is to synthesize studies on the economic burden and economic impact of non-communicable diseases in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region (WHO SEAR) countries. WHO SEAR countries represent 8.6% of the world's population, and 75% of all deaths in this region are attributable to non-communicable diseases. In addition, there is a pattern of low government spending on health in SEAR countries, leading to a high proportion of health financing by patients, risking impoverishment for households. We will consider observational (cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control) and interventional (either single arm or comparative) studies that report the economic burden (direct and indirect costs, out-of-pocket expenditure) and economic impact (catastrophic health expenditure, hardship financing, impoverishment, and gross domestic product impact) at the individual, household, and/or country levels. This includes government surveys, surveillance, and secondary data analyses for one or more non-communicable diseases prevalent in the WHO SEAR. We will conduct a comprehensive search for relevant studies in databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and gray literature, with no date limits. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, followed by full-text screening. Included studies will be critically appraised for quality. Data will be extracted accordingly and, if possible, random effects meta-analyses will be conducted on the pooled data for resource utilization and costs (including burden and impact), presenting the degree of variation between studies. The characteristics and results of the included studies will be narratively summarized with accompanying tables. PROSPERO CRD42023421302.

Food Consumption and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review Protocol

Mental illnesses are prevalent among children and adolescents worldwide and may be associated with food consumption and unhealthy lifestyles. This study aims to evaluate the association between food consumption and mental health in children and adolescents through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The electronic search will include keywords related to childhood, adolescence, mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, stress, depression), and eating behaviors (e.g., eating patterns, ultra-processed foods), verified using MeSH terms. The systematic review will follow the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, employing the PECOS strategy, and will include quantitative observational and mixed-methods studies. A search will be conducted in the following databases: Scopus, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, LILACS, Web of Science, APA-PhysioNET, PubMed (Medline) and EMBASE. Identifying the association between mental health and food consumption will contribute to the development of preventive and intervention strategies aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The analysis of the data will provide results on how psychological factors are linked to the consumption of various food groups, implying the formulation and updating of public policies. These guidelines can assist managers and researchers in creating effective interventions to promote mental health and healthy eating behaviors, ultimately leading to long-term positive impacts on public health..

Epidemiology, tumour characteristics, treatment and outcomes associated with spinal nerve sheath tumours: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionNerve sheath tumours arise from both the central and peripheral nervous systems. In particular, cases of spinal or paraspinal origins are scarce and poorly covered in the literature. This systematic...