Reporting studies on time to diagnosis: proposal of a guideline by an international panel (REST).
BACKGROUND
Studies on time to diagnosis are an increasing field of clinical research that may help to plan corrective actions and identify inequities in access to healthcare. Specific features of time to diagnosis studies, such as how participants were selected and how time to diagnosis was defined and measured, are poorly reported. The present study aims to derive a reporting guideline for studies on time to diagnosis.


METHODS
Each item of a list previously used to evaluate the completeness of reporting of studies on time to diagnosis was independently evaluated by a core panel of international experts (n = 11) for relevance and readability before an open electronic discussion allowed consensus to be reached on a refined list. The list was then submitted with an explanatory document to first, last and/or corresponding authors (n = 98) of published systematic reviews on time to diagnosis (n = 45) for relevance and readability, and finally approved by the core expert panel.


RESULTS
The refined reporting guideline consists of a 19-item checklist: six items are about the process of participant selection (with a suggested flowchart), six about the definition and measurement of time to diagnosis, and three about optional analyses of associations between time to diagnosis and participant characteristics and health outcomes. Of 24 responding authors of systematic reviews, more than 21 (≥88 %) rated the items as relevant, and more than 17 (≥70 %) as readable; 19 of 22 (86 %) authors stated that they would potentially use the reporting guideline in the future.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose a reporting guideline (REST) that could help authors, reviewers, and editors of time to diagnosis study reports to improve the completeness and the accuracy of their reporting.
Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Research Team (Epopé), Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, INSERM U1153, Maternité de Port-Royal, 53 Avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014, Paris, France. elise.launay@chu-nantes.fr.|CHU de Nantes, Hôpital Mère-Enfant, Services de Pédiatrie Générale et d'Urgences Pédiatriques, Nantes, France. elise.launay@chu-nantes.fr.
Elise
E
Launay
Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Research Team (Epopé), Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, INSERM U1153, Maternité de Port-Royal, 53 Avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014, Paris, France.|Service de Pédiatrie Générale, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades; AP-HP; Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
Jérémie F
JF
Cohen
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Patrick M
PM
Bossuyt
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Pierre
P
Buekens
Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Jonathan
J
Deeks
Biomedical Informatics, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
Timothy
T
Dye
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
Richard
R
Feltbower
Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy.
Andrea
A
Ferrari
Departments of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Michael
M
Kramer
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mariska
M
Leeflang
Centre for Practice Changing Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
David
D
Moher
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Karel G
KG
Moons
Cochrane Switzerland, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Erik
E
von Elm
Inserm UMR 1153, METHODS Team, Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Paris, France.
Philippe
P
Ravaud
Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology Research Team (Epopé), Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, INSERM U1153, Maternité de Port-Royal, 53 Avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014, Paris, France.|Service de Pédiatrie Générale, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades; AP-HP; Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
Martin
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-3706
M
Chalumeau
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards*; D057189:Checklist / Q000592:standards*; D032921:Consensus; D003933:Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards; D058028:Research Report / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors
Generalizability; Reporting guideline; Research methodology; Risk of bias; Time to diagnosis
Lancet. 2014 Jan 18;383(9913):267-76
24411647
PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e33415
22485143
JAMA. 1995 Feb 1;273(5):408-12
7823387
J Clin Oncol. 2014 Jun 20;32(18):1935-40
24841977
Lancet Oncol. 2012 Oct;13(10):e445-59
23026830
PLoS Med. 2010 Feb 16;7(2):e1000217
20169112
J Clin Epidemiol. 2008 Apr;61(4):344-9
18313558
Br J Cancer. 2012 Mar 27;106(7):1262-7
22415239
BMJ. 2015 Oct 28;351:h5527
26511519
J Clin Epidemiol. 2016 Oct;78:43-51
27038853
PLoS Med. 2014 Jul 01;11(7):e1001655
24983872
Arch Dis Child. 2014 Mar;99(3):244-50
24265414
Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2016 May;4(5):447-56
26777129