title: Comparison between the standard and a new alternative format of the Summary-of-Findings tables in Cochrane review users: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systematic reviews represent one of the most important tools for knowledge translation but users often struggle with understanding and interpreting their results. GRADE Summary-of-Findings tables have been developed to display results of systematic reviews in a concise and transparent manner. The current format of the Summary-of-Findings tables for presenting risks and quality of evidence improves understanding and assists users with finding key information from the systematic review. However, it has been suggested that additional methods to present risks and display results in the Summary-of-Findings tables are needed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We will conduct a non-inferiority parallel-armed randomized controlled trial to determine whether an alternative format to present risks and display Summary-of-Findings tables is not inferior compared to the current standard format. We will measure participant understanding, accessibility of the information, satisfaction, and preference for both formats. We will invite systematic review users to participate (that is clinicians, guideline developers, and researchers). The data collection process will be undertaken using the online 'Survey Monkey' system. For the primary outcome understanding, non-inferiority of the alternative format (Table A) to the current standard format (Table C) of Summary-of-Findings tables will be claimed if the upper limit of a 1-sided 95% confidence interval (for the difference of proportion of participants answering correctly a given question) excluded a difference in favor of the current format of more than 10%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study represents an effort to provide systematic reviewers with additional options to display review results using Summary-of-Findings tables. In this way, review authors will have a variety of methods to present risks and more flexibility to choose the most appropriate table features to display (that is optional columns, risks expressions, complementary methods to display continuous outcomes, and so on).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT02022631 (21 December 2013).
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. alonsocarrascolabra@gmail.com.|Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. alonsocarrascolabra@gmail.com.
authors: Alonso
authors: A
authors: Carrasco-Labra
authors: Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. rominabp@gmail.com.|Evidence-Based Dentistry Unit, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. rominabp@gmail.com.
authors: Romina
authors: R
authors: Brignardello-Petersen
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. santesna@mcmaster.ca.
authors: Nancy
authors: N
authors: Santesso
authors: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. ignacio.neumann@gmail.com.
authors: Ignacio
authors: I
authors: Neumann
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. ramustafa@gmail.com.|Departments of Medicine/Nephrology and Biomedical & Health Informatics, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, USA. ramustafa@gmail.com.
authors: Reem A
authors: RA
authors: Mustafa
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. mbuagbawl@yahoo.com.
authors: Lawrence
authors: L
authors: Mbuagbaw
authors: OSTEBA, Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment, Ministry for Health, Basque Government, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. itzi.etxe@gmail.com.
authors: Itziar Etxeandia
authors: IE
authors: Ikobaltzeta
authors: Department of Medicine, Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, NY, USA. cdestio@NSHS.edu.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: De Stio
authors: Department of Medicine, Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine, Manhasset, NY, USA. lmccullagh@NSHS.edu.
authors: Lauren J
authors: LJ
authors: McCullagh
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. palonso@santpau.cat.|Iberoamerican Cochrane Center, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau-CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP-IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain. palonso@santpau.cat.
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Alonso-Coello
authors: German Cochrane Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. meerpohl@cochrane.de.
authors: Joerg J
authors: JJ
authors: Meerpohl
authors: Department of Medicine, Innlandet Hospital Trust-division, Gjøvik, Norway. per.vandvik@gmail.com.
authors: Per Olav
authors: PO
authors: Vandvik
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. brozekj@mcmaster.ca.|Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. brozekj@mcmaster.ca.
authors: Jan L
authors: JL
authors: Brozek
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. ea32@aub.edu.lb.|American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. ea32@aub.edu.lb.
authors: Elie A
authors: EA
authors: Akl
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.m.bossuyt@amc.uva.nl.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Bossuyt
authors: Center for Academic Mental Health, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Rachel.Churchill@ccdan.org.
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: Churchill
authors: The Norwegian Branch of the Nordic Cochrane Center, Oslo, Norway. Claire.Glenton@kunnskapssenteret.no.|Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway. Claire.Glenton@kunnskapssenteret.no.
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Glenton
authors: The Norwegian Branch of the Nordic Cochrane Center, Oslo, Norway. sarah@rosenbaum.no.|Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway. sarah@rosenbaum.no.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Rosenbaum
authors: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, K1H 8 M5, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Tugwell.BB@uOttawa.ca.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Tugwell
authors: Bruyère Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Vivian.Welch@uottawa.ca.
authors: Vivian
authors: V
authors: Welch
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. guyatt@mcmaster.ca.|Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. guyatt@mcmaster.ca.
authors: Gordon
authors: G
authors: Guyatt
authors: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. schuneh@mcmaster.ca.|Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. schuneh@mcmaster.ca.
authors: Holger
authors: H
authors: Schünemann
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D012107:Research Design; D058028:Research Report; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome