The aim of this
document is to provide authors, Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) and other
Cochrane Entities with answers to some frequently asked questions about
systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy and the Cochrane Collaboration.
Some questions
have been labelled using prefixes 'CRG' or 'Author', to indicate if a question
has particular focus. However these may be of interest to all readers.
If you have any
more questions or suggestions for questions for this page send an email with
'FAQ authors', 'FAQ CRGs' or 'FAQ' in the subject line to either UKSU@contacts.bham.ac.uk or CESU@amc.uva.nl
3. What
kind of support can CRGs expect from UKSU and CESU?
6. CRG:
We want to register reviews but there is no regional support group for us yet
what do we do?
7. CRG:
Should we be developing a specialist register of studies?
8. CRG:
How do we develop our topic list and look for ‘areas of common interest’?
9. Author:
I would like to prepare a Cochrane diagnostic test accuracy review. What should
I do?
10. Author:
How do I find and contact the relevant CRG?
11. Author:
When can I register my title?
12. Author:
When can I start writing my protocol?
13. Author:
Is there a good search filter I could use?
14. Author:
What quality checklist should I use?
16. What
is the Diagnostic Test Accuracy Editorial Team?
17. Author:
What is the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Working Group (DTAWG)?
To be able to
give CRGs and authors all the support they may need, four regional Support
Units are to be created. Two of these are already active: The UK Support Unit
(UKSU) based in The Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Birmingham
University, UK, and the Continental Europe Support Unit (CESU) based in The
Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Support
units for Australasia and for North America are not yet operable.
Support is
available for UK Cochrane review groups and other entities through the UK support unit (UKSU). Support is
available for Cochrane review groups and entities in Continental Europe from
the Continental Europe Support Unit
(CESU).
For Cochrane
review groups outside of the UK or continental Europe please contact one of
these support units for an update on the status of the North American and
Australasian support units.
UKSU and CESU
have been set up to assist CRGs with implementing the processes and methods for
conducting systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy (DTA). The CRGs will
support their authors as they do for systematic reviews of interventions. Of
course CRGs will be able to seek advice and assistance with this from their
support group and to pass on specific queries from their authors to the support
group. Therefore we would prefer questions from authors to be sent via their
Review Group Coordinator (RGC).
The CRG can
expect help with three aspects of preparing these reviews.
1. Clinical relevance and
usefulness of review questions,
2. The methods for
preparing systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy (SRDTA), including
methods for searching, assessing quality and meta analysis and
3. the editorial processes
required to support authors for example how to use RevMan5 how the editorial
process works and standard letters and documents for the editorial process.
More detail about these below.
When a review
group decides it would like to start registering reviews of diagnostic test
accuracy it should contact its regional support group (UKSU or CESU) who will arrange for some induction
training to familiarise CRG staff, statisticians and editors with the processes
of preparing a review of diagnostic test accuracy.
The formulation
of useful and clinically relevant systematic review questions is very important
for Cochrane systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. Before a CRG
registers any review titles it would be advantageous to consider the scope of
potential reviews for the CRG and to outline any reviews to prioritise.
We will be
happy to discuss these with CRGs and to offer
It is important
that editorial staff understand the processes their authors will use to prepare
systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. We are able to provide training
on the following topics:
If
a review group cannot attend training course it may be possible for the
trainers to arrange to visit the review group to deliver training.
The editorial
process for systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy is different to that
for systematic reviews of interventions. CRGs will wotk in partnership with the
DTA Editorial Team who will provide methodological comments on all Cochrane
systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. This will include
Details of the editorial process for DTA reviews can be found on our website http://srdta.cochrane.org/
There is no
pressure or rush to start to register reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. We
prefer that each group start when it is ready and there is sufficient interest
and resources within the review group to support these reviews. We are aware
that CRGs manage large workloads and it would be important for CRGs to plan
when would be appropriate to start registering systematic reviews of diagnostic
test accuracy in order to ensure that they are in the best position to support
authors. CRGs can write to any authors who contact them with a request to
register a review of diagnostic test accuracy to explain their decision
regarding systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. It may be helpful to
the author to include a date when this decision may be revisited.
Because there
is limited capacity within the support units the support units are prioritising
review groups to receive support and training.
Review groups
should contact their support unit if they have any questions.
CRGs should not
register diagnostic test accuracy reviews until they have organised induction
training with their support unit.
Each review
group must decide when they would like to start to publishing systematic
reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. When a CRG decides that it would like to
start to accept authors’ requests to register titles for SRDTA we recommend
that members of the editorial team of the review group
Each
CRG must contact their support group to before they start registering DTA
reviews. CRGs in continental Europe should contact the Continental Europe
Support Unit (CESU). CRGs based in the UK
should contact the UK support unit (UKSU).
For review groups outside of the UK or continental Europe please contact one of
these support units for an update on the status of the North American and
Australasian support units.
There are plans
for support units in North America and Australasia however these groups are not
yet functioning. CRGs with concerns about their ability to start to register
SRDTA should contact either the UK Support Unit (UKSU) or the Continental Europe
Support Unit (CESU).
Cochrane Review
Groups are not expected to maintain a specialized register of diagnostic test
accuracy studies for their group. A single register of diagnostic test accuracy
studies designed to cover all specialties is being developed and managed by the
Cochrane Renal Group based in Sydney, Australia. This is not yet publicly
available. For more information, please visit This website http://www.cochrane.org/docs/diagnosticproposal.htm
or contact the Cochrane Renal Group.
At present we
think that CRGs will not have to develop a separate topic list and it may be
more useful for CRGs to scope out good clinical questions regarding diagnosis
and comparison of appropriate diagnostic tests and prioritisation of
appropriate tests.
At present we
are not certain how many areas of common interest will be identified. Therefore
we would like CRGs to consider other review groups when registering titles.
Studies of diagnostic test accuracy usually focus on one condition to be
identified, which will usually be within the scope of one review group.
Registered titles will be circulated to all review groups in the same way the
systematic reviews of interventions are circulated to all groups. We look
forward to developing guidance on this as more reviews are registered.
As with
Cochrane Intervention reviews you should contact the relevant Cochrane Review
Group (CRG). However, please note, not all CRGs will start registering titles
of Cochrane systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy (DTA). When a CRG is
ready to start to accept authors' requests to register titles for DTA reviews we
recommend that the author team includes members with the following expertise:
·
Content expertise of the condition e.g. a clinician familiar with
the target condition,
·
Content expertise of the test e.g. a specialist with experience in
performing the index and reference test,
·
Information scientist,
·
Experience of preparing a systematic review,
·
Expertise of the methodology of diagnostic research (i.e. someone
with expertise in the quality assessment using QUADAS, knowledge of diagnostic
research and diagnostic research synthesis),
·
Statistical expertise i.e. statistician with knowledge of diagnostic
research and diagnostic research synthesis.
The
CRG will assess each request to register a DTA review. The CRG may consider
·
If the review falls into their scope
·
If the review questions is suitable for a Cochrane review
·
If the review question is a priority for their group
·
the expertise of the review team (See above)
·
availability of training and Handbook materials for themselves and
for authors.
There are 50 or
so Cochrane review groups (CRGs) covering the whole of medical health care. Visit
this webpage www.Cochrane.org/contact/entities.htm#CRGLIST
to find the CRG that appears to be most relevant to your chosen review.
Each CRG will
decide when it is ready to accept systematic reviews of diagnostic test
accuracy from authors. Your CRG may be ready to accept these reviews or may
have deferred acceptance until a later date. Please contact your CRG for
details.
Please contact
your CRG for advice on when to write your protocol. You can prepare your protocol
after your proposed title for a systematic review has been accepted by your CRG,
the title has been formally registered and your CRG has created a template for
the review and made this available to you.
Please use the
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy to guide
you in the preparation of your protocol. The Handbook is available on our
website http://srdta.cochrane.org./
All systematic
reviews of diagnostic test accuracy must be prepared using the new version of
RevMan (RevMan5). Please do not start
to prepare your review until you have registered your title and received a
review template from your CRG.
We advise you
not to use search filters at all as evidence suggests that you may miss
relevant studies. The reason for this is that terms for identifying studies
examining the accuracy of diagnostic tests are not well indexed in the
electronic bibliographic databases, such as MEDLINE. More details are available
in Chapter 7 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test
Accuracy. This handbook is available from our website http://srdta.cochrane.org.
For advice on
searching please contact the trial search coordinator of your CRG.
We advise you
to use the QUADAS checklist and to modify it if needed (for example, if you
need to assess extra quality-items).
Please see the
Chapter 9 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test
Accuracy. This handbook is available from our website http://srdta.cochrane.org.
We think that
systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy are so different from
intervention reviews that we are recommending that CRG staff have the
opportunity to attend training and workshops to learn more about diagnostic
research and systematic reviews of diagnostic research.
Another
difference in the publication of these reviews is the requirement that all
protocols and reviews are to be signed of for publication by the DTA Editorial Team
and the Cochrane Review Group and if only one is signed off it is not possible
to publish the review.
The Steering
Group of the Cochrane Collaboration convened the DTA editorial team in 2008. It
comprises experts in all methodological aspects of preparing systematic reviews
of diagnostic test accuracy. The role of the DTA editorial Team is to manage
the quality of DTA reviews in The Cochrane Library through the peer
review of these reviews. It will provide peer review comments of the
methodology for all protocols and full text systematic reviews of diagnostic
test accuracy.
All Cochrane
diagnostic test accuracy reviews, and protocols for reviews, will need to be
approved for sign off by the DTA Editorial Team before they can be published on
the Cochrane Library. The sign off for publication will also require the
Cochrane review group to approve the protocol or review for publication. This
is a 'dual' sign off procedure.
Details
of the editorial team can be found on our website http://srdta.cochrane.org/
This group has
been set up by the Steering Group to develop and implement the reviews of
diagnostic test accuracy within the Cochrane Collaboration. There is more
information about the DTAWG on our website http://srdta.cochrane.org.
The Cochrane
Diagnostic Test Accuracy Working Group (DTAWG) is closely related to the
Screening and Diagnostic Test Methods Group (SDTMG), but the latter has a
different function. Although many of the same people are involved in both, the
SDTMG's focus is on research and quality control, while the DTAWG's focus is
more on the practical implementation of diagnostic reviews within the Cochrane
Library.