Katharine Whitehurst

Compliance of Systematic Reviews in Plastic Surgery With the PRISMA Statement

IMPORTANCE Systematic reviews attempt to answer research questions by synthesizing the data in primary articles. They are an increasingly important tool within evidence-based medicine, guiding clinical practice, future research, and health care policy. OBJECTIVE To determine the reporting quality of recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses in plastic surgery with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. METHODS MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for systematic reviews published between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2014, in 5 major plastic surgery journals. Screening, identification, and data extraction were performed independently by 2 teams. Articles were reviewed for compliance with reporting of 27 items in the PRISMA checklist. Data analysis was conducted from January 1 to July 30, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The sum of PRISMA checklist items (1-27) per systematic review. RESULTS From an initial set of 163 articles, 79 met the inclusion criteria. The median PRISMA score was 16 of 27 items (59%) (range, 6%-26%; 95% CI, 14%-17%). Compliance varied between individual PRISMA items. It was poorest for items related to the use of review protocol (item 5; 4 articles [5%]) and presentation of data on the risk of bias of each study (item 19; 14 articles [18%]). Compliance was the highest for description of rationale (item 3; 78 articles [99%]), sources of funding and other support (item 27; 75 articles [95%]), and inclusion of a structured summary in the abstract (item 2; 75 articles [95%]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The reporting quality of systematic reviews in plastic surgery requires improvement. Enforcement of compliance through journal submission systems, as well as improved education, awareness, and a cohesive strategy among all stakeholders, is called for. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA.

Systematic review of the methodological and reporting quality of case series in surgery

Case series are an important and common study type. No guideline exists for reporting case series and there is evidence of key data being missed from such reports. The first step in the process of developing a methodologically sound reporting guideline is a systematic review of literature relevant to the reporting deficiencies of case series.

The Academic Surgical Collaborative: Launching a new trainee research collaborative

The first trainee research collaborative (TRC) in medicine began in 1986, when General Practitioners orchestrated a research project for regional trainees [1]. Whilst there has been a proliferation of research collaboratives across the UK, and an increase in the proportion of publications written by collaborative groups [2], TRCs have only become more widespread relatively recently. Multicentre surgical research projects led by trainees [3,4] have firmly cemented the resurgence of the TRC and its role within the surgical profession [5]. The National Research Collaborative website is dominated by the surgical disciplines and at present twenty-nine out of the thirty-seven collaboratives listed are surgically themed [6]. Surgical TRCs are an opportunity for trainees at all levels of experience to develop their research involvement [7]. Junior trainees are supported as their exposure to research and audit increases [8] by more senior colleagues who are able to offer advice and experience. As trainees mature, TRCs can help to identify research questions, assist networking, offer academic support and mentoring, provide motivation to finish work [8] and improve access to funding [9]. TRCs are an educational tool, promote future collaboration, and increase the exposure of trainees at all levels to research and audit [1]. Finally, TRCs allow trainees to learn basic research methodology, to assist in the co-ordination of multi-centre studies, and to recruit willing collaborators from other centres who may otherwise be inaccessible [7]. Bhangu identifies that surgical trainees are highly suited to the delivery of collaborative work; they are regularly in contact with each other, are motivated and desire evidence of involvement in research [10]. However, now we find medical students are leading national audit projects (STARSurg) [10], giving them an early taste of collaborative research. International level, trainee led surgical collaborative projects have also begun to establish [10], with GlobalSurg announcing it had completed patient recruitment for its first endeavour in January 2015 [11]. This short paper describes the establishment of the Academic Surgical Collaborative (ASC); a new TRC. We describe the ASCs positioning within TRCs and its guiding philosophies.

How to organize a medical elective.

The medical elective is often considered a major highlight of the medical school experience. However, organizing an elective can be a daunting experience. From selecting a destination, to securing bursaries, the road is fraught with uncertainty. In this article, we provide some guidance on how to successfully organize a medical elective. This includes the selection of the destination; options for research or clinical practice and tips for budgeting and acquiring travel bursaries.

Reflective practice in health care and how to reflect effectively.

Reflective practice is a paper requirement of your career progression in health care. However, if done properly, it can greatly improve your skills as a health care provider. This article provides some structure to reflective practice to allow a health care provider to engage more with reflective practice and get more out of the experience.

How to succeed at medical interviews.

Few people truly relish being interviewed. But as a professional, you will go through a number of interviews in your life that will affect your career progression. In this article, we provide some tips on how best to prepare for a medical interview, both in terms of your portfolio and interview practice. Advice is also given on how to maximize performance during the interview and gain the most from reflection afterwards.

How to study effectively

The ability to study effectively is an essential part of completing a medical degree. To cope with the vast amount of information and skills needed to be acquired, it is necessary develop effective study techniques. In this article we outline the various methods students can use to excel in upcoming examinations.

Why apply for an intercalated research degree

Intercalated degrees are commonly undertaken as part of the medical undergraduate course. In this article, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of intercalation, along with alternatives that could be considered.

Compliance of systematic reviews in ophthalmology with the PRISMA statement

BackgroundSystematic reviews and meta-analyses are becoming increasingly important methods to summarize published research. Studies of ophthalmology may present additional challenges because of their potentially complex study designs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reporting quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on topics in ophthalmology to determine compliance with the PRISMA guidelines. We assessed articles published between 2010 and 2015 in the five major relevant journals with the highest impact factors.MethodsThe MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched to identify systematic reviews published between January 2010 and December 2015 in the following 5 major ophthalmology journals: Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Survey of Ophthalmology. The screening, identification, and scoring of articles were independently performed by two teams, and the results were submitted to statistical analysis to determine medians, ranges, and 95% CIs.ResultsA total of 115 articles were included. The median compliance was 15 out of 27 items (56%), the range was 5–26 (26–96%), and the inter-quartile range was 10 (37%). Compliance was highest in items related to the ‘description of rationale’ (item 3, 100%) and sequentially lower in ‘the general interpretation of results’ (item 26, 96%) and ‘the inclusion of a structured summary in the abstract’ (item 2, 90%). Compliance was poorest in the items ‘indication of review protocol and registration’ (item 5, 9%), ‘specification of risk of biases that may affect the cumulative evidence’ (item 15, 24%), and ‘description of clear objectives in the introduction’ (item 4, 26%).ConclusionThe reporting quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in ophthalmology should be significantly improved. While we recommend the use of the PRISMA criteria as a guideline before journal submission, additional research aimed at identifying potential barriers to compliance may be required to improve compliance with PRISMA guidelines.

How to approach supervisors for research opportunities

In this article, we use our experiences to provide tips for contacting potential supervisors, what to expect from them and how to approach them for research opportunities. With appropriate planning, you will be surprised by the number of prestigious academics who would be willing for you to join their research group, and to get you involved in a research project.