Cochrane's COVID‐19 Living Systematic Reviews: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Their Conduct, Reporting and Currency

DOI record: { "DOI": "10.1002/cesm.70024", "ISSN": [ "2832-9023", "2832-9023" ], "URL": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cesm.70024", "abstract": "<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Living systematic reviews (LSRs) should provide up‐to‐date evidence for priority questions where the evidence may be uncertain and fast‐moving. LSRs featured prominently during COVID‐19 and formed part of Cochrane's response to the pandemic. We conducted a mixed‐methods study to describe the characteristics of Cochrane's COVID‐19 living reviews, determine the currency of the included evidence, and evaluate authors' experiences in conducting and publishing these reviews.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>We identified living reviews of COVID‐19 from the <jats:italic>Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews</jats:italic> and extracted data on the number of versions published and publication timelines. We assessed the currency of evidence by comparing studies included in the reviews against a comprehensive list of studies maintained for the Australian living guidelines for COVID‐19. The qualitative component involved semi‐structured interviews with review authors to identify the barriers and enablers to conducting, reporting and publishing living reviews.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Findings</jats:title><jats:p>Cochrane published 25 COVID‐19 living systematic reviews. Half of these reviews had not been updated when assessed in June 2023 and only four had been updated more than once. A total of 118 studies were included in the living reviews. We estimated that an additional 119 studies were available and potentially relevant for inclusion. Interviews with six authors indicated that publication timelines were reduced by editorial delays, loss of funding, waning commitment, and the burden of screening search results. An inability to communicate the living status of reviews in the Cochrane Library was a common frustration for many authors. Although authors felt the conclusions of their reviews were still current, only one living review communicated its updated status and made new evidence accessible after the review was published.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Maintaining and communicating the currency of Cochrane's COVID‐19 living systematic reviews was not feasible for many author teams because of author‐side, editorial and platform barriers.</jats:p></jats:sec>", "alternative-id": [ "10.1002/cesm.70024" ], "assertion": [ { "group": { "label": "Publication History", "name": "publication_history" }, "label": "Received", "name": "received", "order": 0, "value": "2024-05-16" }, { "group": { "label": "Publication History", "name": "publication_history" }, "label": "Accepted", "name": "accepted", "order": 2, "value": "2025-03-07" }, { "group": { "label": "Publication History", "name": "publication_history" }, "label": "Published", "name": "published", "order": 3, "value": "2025-03-28" } ], "author": [ { "ORCID": "https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7254-3484", "affiliation": [ { "name": "Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia" } ], "authenticated-orcid": false, "family": "De Silva", "given": "Kevindu", "sequence": "first" }, { "ORCID": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7990-1623", "affiliation": [ { "name": "Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia" } ], "authenticated-orcid": false, "family": "Turner", "given": "Tari", "sequence": "additional" }, { "ORCID": "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2832-5205", "affiliation": [ { "name": "Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia" } ], "authenticated-orcid": false, "family": "McDonald", "given": "Steve", "sequence": "additional" } ], "container-title": "Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods", "container-title-short": "Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods", "content-domain": { "crossmark-restriction": true, "domain": [ "onlinelibrary.wiley.com" ] }, "created": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 3, 30 ] ], "date-time": "2025-03-30T20:19:36Z", "timestamp": 1743365976000 }, "deposited": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 5, 27 ] ], "date-time": "2025-05-27T04:40:24Z", "timestamp": 1748320824000 }, "indexed": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 5, 28 ] ], "date-time": "2025-05-28T04:03:03Z", "timestamp": 1748404983267, "version": "3.41.0" }, "is-referenced-by-count": 0, "issue": "3", "issued": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 3, 28 ] ] }, "journal-issue": { "issue": "3", "published-print": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 5 ] ] } }, "language": "en", "license": [ { "URL": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "content-version": "vor", "delay-in-days": 0, "start": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 3, 28 ] ], "date-time": "2025-03-28T00:00:00Z", "timestamp": 1743120000000 } } ], "link": [ { "URL": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cesm.70024", "content-type": "unspecified", "content-version": "vor", "intended-application": "similarity-checking" } ], "member": "311", "original-title": [], "prefix": "10.1002", "published": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 3, 28 ] ] }, "published-online": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 3, 28 ] ] }, "published-print": { "date-parts": [ [ 2025, 5 ] ] }, "publisher": "Wiley", "reference": [ { "DOI": "10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.05.022", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_2_1" }, { "DOI": "10.7326/0003-4819-147-4-200708210-00179", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_3_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.08.010", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_4_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1371/journal.pmed.1001603", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_5_1" }, { "key": "e_1_2_11_6_1", "unstructured": "Living systematic reviews Cochrane Community: Cochrane Community; 2023 [Available from:https://community.cochrane.org/review-production/production-resources/living-systematic-reviews." }, { "DOI": "10.1136/bmj-2024-079183", "article-title": "Extension of the PRISMA 2020 Statement for Living Systematic Reviews (Prisma‐Lsr): Checklist and Explanation", "author": "Akl E. A.", "doi-asserted-by": "crossref", "journal-title": "BMJ", "key": "e_1_2_11_7_1", "volume": "387", "year": "2024" }, { "DOI": "10.1186/s12874-023-01980-y", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_8_1" }, { "DOI": "10.2147/CLEP.S367339", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_9_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1186/s13643-023-02325-y", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_10_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009378", "article-title": "Past, Present and Future of Living Systematic Review: A Bibliometrics Analysis", "author": "Zheng Q.", "doi-asserted-by": "crossref", "issue": "10", "journal-title": "BMJ Global Health", "key": "e_1_2_11_11_1", "volume": "7", "year": "2022" }, { "DOI": "10.1093/intqhc/mzm042", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_12_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.11.005", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_13_1" }, { "article-title": "Nirmatrelvir Combined With Ritonavir for Preventing and Treating COVID‐19", "author": "Reis S.", "issue": "9", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_14_1", "volume": "11", "year": "2022" }, { "article-title": "Convalescent Plasma or Hyperimmune Immunoglobulin for People With COVID‐19: A Rapid Review", "author": "Valk S. J.", "issue": "5", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_15_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2020" }, { "article-title": "Hyperimmune Immunoglobulin for People With COVID‐19", "author": "Kimber C.", "issue": "1", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_16_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2023" }, { "article-title": "Systemic Corticosteroids for the Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Wagner C.", "issue": "8", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_17_1", "volume": "8", "year": "2021" }, { "article-title": "Inhaled Corticosteroids for the Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Griesel M.", "issue": "3", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_18_1", "volume": "3", "year": "2022" }, { "article-title": "Interventions for the Treatment of Persistent Post‐COVID‐19 Olfactory Dysfunction", "author": "O'Byrne L.", "issue": "7", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_19_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2021" }, { "article-title": "Janus Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Kramer A.", "issue": "6", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_20_1", "volume": "6", "year": "2022" }, { "article-title": "Colchicine for the Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Mikolajewska A.", "issue": "10", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_21_1", "volume": "10", "year": "2021" }, { "article-title": "SARS‐CoV‐2‐Neutralising Monoclonal Antibodies for Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Kreuzberger N.", "issue": "9", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_22_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2021" }, { "article-title": "Remdesivir for the Treatment of COVID‐19", "author": "Ansems K.", "issue": "8", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_23_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2021" }, { "article-title": "Vitamin D Supplementation for the Treatment of COVID‐19: A Living Systematic Review", "author": "Stroehlein J. 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J.", "issue": "6", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_37_1", "volume": "11", "year": "2020" }, { "article-title": "Risk of Thromboembolism in Patients With COVID‐19 who Are Using Hormonal Contraception", "author": "Cohen M. A.", "issue": "1", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_38_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2023" }, { "DOI": "10.1136/bmjebm-2022-112019", "article-title": "Pragmatic and Open Science‐Based Solution to a Current Problem in the Reporting of Living Systematic Reviews", "author": "Metzendorf M. 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Cochrane Editorial and Publishing Policy Resource: Cochrane Editorial and Methods Department;2019.https://documentation.cochrane.org/display/EPPR/Guide+to+applying+to+Cochrane+Reviews?preview=/117380724/117380820/Cochrane_UCS-Guide.pdf." }, { "article-title": "Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation", "author": "Lindson N.", "issue": "1", "journal-title": "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews", "key": "e_1_2_11_44_1", "volume": "1", "year": "2024" }, { "DOI": "10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.111231", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_45_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.09.013", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_46_1" }, { "DOI": "10.1186/s13643-019-1248-5", "doi-asserted-by": "publisher", "key": "e_1_2_11_47_1" } ], "reference-count": 46, "references-count": 46, "relation": { "has-review": [ { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v1/review1", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v1/decision1", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v1/review2", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v2/response1", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v3/decision1", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v2/decision1", "id-type": "doi" }, { "asserted-by": "object", "id": "10.1002/CESM.70024/v3/response1", "id-type": "doi" } ] }, "resource": { "primary": { "URL": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cesm.70024" } }, "score": 1, "short-title": [], "source": "Crossref", "subject": [], "subtitle": [], "title": "Cochrane's COVID‐19 Living Systematic Reviews: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Their Conduct, Reporting and Currency", "type": "journal-article", "update-policy": "https://doi.org/10.1002/crossmark_policy", "volume": "3" }