The quality of systematic reviews of health-related outcome measurement instruments.
BACKGROUND
Systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments are important tools for the selection of instruments for research and clinical practice. Our aim was to assess the quality of systematic reviews of health-related outcome measurement instruments and to determine whether the quality has improved since our previous study in 2007.


METHODS
A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE between July 1, 2013, and June 19, 2014. The quality of the reviews was rated using a study-specific checklist.


RESULTS
A total of 102 reviews were included. In many reviews the search strategy was considered not comprehensive; in only 59 % of the reviews a search was performed in EMBASE and in about half of the reviews there was doubt about the comprehensiveness of the search terms used for type of measurement instruments and measurement properties. In 41 % of the reviews, compared to 30 % in our previous study, the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed. In 58 %, compared to 55 %, the quality of the included instruments was assessed. In 42 %, compared to 7 %, a data synthesis was performed in which the results from multiple studies on the same instrument were somehow combined.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite a clear improvement in the quality of systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments in comparison with our previous study in 2007, there is still room for improvement with regard to the search strategy, and especially the quality assessment of the included studies and the included instruments, and the data synthesis.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. cb.terwee@vumc.nl.
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Terwee
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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CA
Prinsen
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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Ricci Garotti
Department of Public Health and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Suman
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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de Vet
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Mokkink
D057189:Checklist; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life; D012106:Research / Q000592:standards*; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
Measurement properties; Outcome measurement instruments; Reliability; Systematic review; Validity