What Are the Determinants of the Quality of Systematic Reviews in the International Journals of Occupational Medicine? A Methodological Study Review of Published Literature

Giuseppe La Torre (), Remigio Bova, Rosario Andrea Cocchiara, Cristina Sestili, Anna Tagliaferri, Simona Maggiacomo, Camilla Foschi, William Zomparelli, Maria Vittoria Manai, David Shaholli, Vanessa India Barletta, Luca Moretti, Francesca Vezza and Alice Mannocci
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Giuseppe La Torre: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Remigio Bova: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Rosario Andrea Cocchiara: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Cristina Sestili: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Anna Tagliaferri: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Simona Maggiacomo: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Camilla Foschi: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
William Zomparelli: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Maria Vittoria Manai: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
David Shaholli: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Vanessa India Barletta: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Luca Moretti: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesca Vezza: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alice Mannocci: Faculty of Economics, Universitas Mercatorum, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the methodological quality of systematic reviews published in occupational medicine journals from 2014 to 2021. Methods: Papers edited between 2014 and 2021 in the 14 open access journals with the highest impact were assessed for their quality. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and if they were published in English. Results: The study included 335 studies. Among these, 149 were meta-analyses and 186 were systematic reviews. The values of the AMSTAR-2 score range between three and fourteen with a mean value of 9.85 (SD = 2.37). The factors that significantly and directly associate to a higher AMSTAR-2 score were impact factor ( p = 0.003), number of consulted research databases ( p = 0.011), declaration of PRISMA statement ( p = 0.003), year of publication ( p < 0.001) and performing a meta-analysis ( p < 0.001).The R² values from the multivariate analysis showed that the AMSTAR-2 score could be predicted by the inclusion of these parameters by up to 23%. Conclusions: This study suggests a quality assessment methodology that could help readers in a fast identification of good systematic reviews or meta-analyses. Future studies should analyze more journals without applying language restrictions and consider a wider range of years of publication in order to give a more robust evidence for results.

Keywords: quality assessment; public health; occupational health; PRISMA statement; AMSTAR-2 score (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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