Risk of bias in individual studies
Two methodologists independently assessed the risk of bias in individual
studies (CS, DdS) as did small groups of task force members (all
authors). The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2 (ROB2)11Higgins JP,
Altman DG, Gøtzsche PC, Jüni P, Moher D, Oxman AD, Savovic J, Schulz
KF, Weeks L, Sterne JAC. The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for
assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ (Clinical research
ed) 2011;343:d5928. was used for trials, ROBINS-I22Sterne
JAC, Hernán MA, Reeves BC, Savović J, Berkman ND, Viswanathan M.
ROBINS-I: a tool for assessing risk of bias in non-randomised studies
of interventions BMJ 2016;355:i4919. for observational studies and
QUADAS 233Whiting PF, Rutjes AW, Westwood ME, Mallett S, Deeks
JJ, Reitsma JB, Leeflang MM, Sterne JA, Bossuyt PM. QUADAS-2: a
revised tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy
studies. Ann Intern Med 2011;155(8):529-536. for diagnostic studies.
Arbitration was available from two senior clinicians (GR, MW) but there
was 100% agreement in the risk of bias assessments.