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Status quo of systematic reviews published in high-impact journals in Korea: A study focused on protocol registration and GRADE use
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Mi Ah Han, Seong Jung Kim, Eu Chang Hwang, Jae Hung Jung
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Epidemiol Health. 2022;e2022108. Published online November 15, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022108
[Accepted]
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Abstract
Objectives
This study investigated the status quo of systematic reviews published in major journals in Korea from the perspective of protocol registration and adopting the grading of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) system.
Methods We examined systematic reviews published in Korea’s top 15 medical journals from 2018 to 2021. Teams of two reviewers assessed the study eligibility criteria and extracted data independently and in duplicate. We collected the information on study characteristics, protocol registration, GRADE use of reviews included, and reviewed the “Instructions to Authors” of the selected journals to assess any guidance related to systematic reviews.
Results Out of the 126 identified reviews, 18 (14.3%) reported that they registered or published their protocol. Only 5 (4.0%) rated the certainty of evidence; and all 5 used the GRADE system. Only 6 of 15 journals mentioned systematic reviews in their "Instructions for Authors.” Six journals endorsed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for systematic review reporting; however, 2 were mandatory, 3 were recommended, and 1 was unclear. None of the journals included mentioned protocol registration or certainty of evidence in their authors’ guidelines.
Conclusions Overall, the proportion of prior protocol registration of systematic reviews and adoption of the GRADE approach to rate the certainty of evidence was very low. Our study highlights the adherence to the systematic review standards of medical journals in Korea, including a prior protocol registration and certainty of evidence assessment. Our review helps improve the quality of systematic reviews in Korea.
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Prevalence and methodological quality of systematic reviews in Korean medical journals
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Seong Jung Kim, Mi Ah Han, Jae Hung Jung, Eu Chang Hwang, Hae Ran Kim, Sang-Eun Yoon, Seo-Hee Kim, Pius Kim, So-Yeong Kim
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Epidemiol Health. 2022;e2023017. Published online February 6, 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2023017
[Accepted]
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Abstract
This study aimed to assess and evaluate the prevalence and methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) published in major Korean medical journals (KMJs). The top 15 journals with the highest Korean Medical Citation Index, published between 2018 to 2021, were selected. We assessed the methodological quality of SRs using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2). In total, 126 SRs were included, with an average of 32 SRs being reported annually. The overall prevalence of SRs in KMJs was 2.8%, with an increase from 2.6% in 2018 to 3.4% in 2021. Overall, the methodological quality of SRs was low (9.5% low, 90.5% critically low). More than 80% of the studies adhered to critical domain items such as a comprehensive literature search and risk of bias assessment, but for items such as protocol registration and listing excluded studies and the justification for exclusion, the adherence rate was less than 15%. While the number of SRs in KMJs steadily increased, the overall confidence in the methodological quality was low to critically low. Therefore, in order to provide the best evidence for decision-making in clinical and public health areas, editors, reviewers, and authors need to pay more attention to improving the quality of SRs.
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Metabolic Syndrome and Serum Alanine Aminotransferase Levels in Korean Adults : The Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III), 2005.
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Mi Ah Han, So Yeon Ryu, Jong Park, Myung Geun Kang, Ki Soon Kim
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Korean J Epidemiol. 2008;30(1):25-33. Published online June 30, 2008
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/kje.2008.30.1.25
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PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the metabolic syndrome and alanine aminotransferase(SGPT) levels in Korean adults.
METHODS The study subjects were 4,325 adults aged > or = 19 years without an apparent cause of liver disease from the Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(2005). The metabolic syndrome was defined using criteria established by the NCEP/ATP III, while abdominal obesity was assessed based on the Asia-Pacific guidelines.
Subjects with SGPT > or = 40 IU/L were considered to have elevated SGPT levels. Demographic characteristics, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood sugar were recorded for statistical analysis.
RESULTS The prevalence of elevated SGPT levels was significantly increase with the presence of the metabolic syndrome and its components. In multiple logistic regression analyses, odds ratio for the elevated SGPT levels was significantly high in the subjects with the metabolic syndrome compared to the subjects without metabolic syndrome after adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics and health-related behavior.
CONCLUSIONS The metabolic syndrome was independently associated with SGPT levels in Korean adults.
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