title: Development of the anatomical quality assessment (AQUA) tool for the quality assessment of anatomical studies included in meta-analyses and systematic reviews.
abstract: Critical appraisal of anatomical studies is essential before the evidence from them undergoes meta-epidemiological synthesis. However, no instrument for appraising anatomical studies with inherent applicability to different study designs is available. We aim to develop a generic yet comprehensive tool for assessing the quality of anatomical studies using a formal consensus method. The study steering committee formulated an initial conceptual design and generated items for a preliminary tool on the basis of a literature review and expert opinion. A Delphi procedure was then adopted to assess the validity of the preliminary tool. Feedback from the Delphi panelists was used to improve it. The Delphi procedure involved 12 experts in anatomical research. It comprised two rounds, after which unanimous consensus was reached about the items to be included. The preliminary tool consisted of 20 items, which were phrased as signaling questions and organized into five domains: 1. Aim and subject characteristics, 2. Study design, 3. Characterization of methods, 4. Descriptive anatomy, and 5. Results reporting. Each domain was set to end with a risk of bias question. Following round 1, some of the items underwent major revision, although agreement was reached regarding inclusion of all the domains and signaling questions in the preliminary tool. The tool was revised only for minor language inaccuracies after round 2. The AQUA Tool was designed to assess the quality and reliability of anatomical studies. It is currently undergoing a validation process. Clin. Anat. 30:6-13, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Brandon Michael
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Tomaszewski
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Piravin Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Joyeeta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vikse
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, Grenada.
authors.forename: Marios
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loukas
authors.affiliation: Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: R Shane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1317-1047
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tubbs
authors.affiliation: International Evidence-Based Anatomy Working Group, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walocha
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000592:standards*; D003697:Delphi Technique; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
keywords: anatomy; bias; quality assessment; tool; validity