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Publication: Risk of Bias Assessments in Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Behavioral Interventions for Substance Use Outcomes
Dr. Audrey Hang Hai is a co-author of "Risk of bias assessments in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of behavioral interventions for substance use outcomes" in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
This study explored the current practice of risk of bias assessment in systematic reviews of behavioral clinical trials published in substance use journals and how assessment results were incorporated into meta-analysis. It identified 35 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of behavioral clinical trials. Among the 35 reviews, 31 (89%) assessed the risk of bias of their included studies. Twelve (39%) of the 31 reviews incorporated these assessment findings into their meta-analysis of intervention effects. The authors conclused that "performing and reporting risk of bias assessment remain inconsistent in published systematic reviews. Future systematic reviews and meta-analyses are encouraged to connect their risk of bias assessment findings with meta-analysis and follow the most updated PRISMA guidelines in reporting the methods and results of risk of bias assessment."