Table 1 General characteristics of Systematic reviews included
Main clinical research field targeted in the included systematic reviews, n (%) | |
General and Internal Medicine | 20 (30.3%) |
Rheumatology | 16 (24.2%) |
Respiratory System | 13 (19.7%) |
Cardiovascular System and Cardiology | 11 (16.7%) |
Pathology | 1 (1.5%) |
Pharmacology and Pharmacy | 1 (1.5%) |
Psychiatry | 1 (1.5%) |
Transplantation | 1 (1.5%) |
NA | 2 (3.0%) |
Type of systematic reviews included according to Munn et al. [17] criteria, n (%) | |
Effectiveness/Efficacy | 27 (40.9%) |
Expert opinion or policy | 11 (16.7%) |
Prognostic | 10 (15.2%) |
Prevalence | 8 (12.1%) |
Diagnostic Test Accuracy | 6 (9.1%) |
Costs/Economic evaluation | 2 (3.0%) |
Etiology or risk | 1 (1.5%) |
Experimental (qualitative) | 1 (1.5%) |
Country Region of the Institution of the Portuguese Systematic reviews’ first author, n (%) | |
Portugal | 49 (74.2%) |
Brazil | 11 (16.7%) |
Italy | 3 (4.5%) |
China | 1 (1.5%) |
Spain | 1 (1.5%) |
USA | 1 (1.5%) |
Region of Portugal from the institution of the first author, n (%)a | |
North | 25 (51.0%) |
Lisbon and Tagus Valley | 17 (34.7%) |
Center | 7 (14.3%) |
Alentejo | 0 (0%) |
Algarve | 0 (0%) |
Azores | 0 (0%) |
Madeira | 0 (0%) |
Distribution of the included systematic reviews according to the journal of publication, n (%) | |
Acta Médica Portuguesa | 21 (31.8%) |
Acta Reumatológica Portuguesa | 16 (24.2%) |
Pulmonology (previously Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia) | 14 (21.2%) |
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia | 13 (19.7%) |
Revista Portuguesa de Cirurgia Cardio-torácica e Vascular | 2 (3.0%) |
Publication year, median (range) | 2014 (2001–2020) |
Publication journal impact factor, median (range)b | 1.3 (1.1–3.6) c |
Included a PRISMA-like flow diagram, n (%) | 37 (56.1%) |
Number of review authors, median (range) | 4 (1–12) |
Systematic reviews with only one author, n (%) | 2 (3.0%) |
Eligibility criteria based on language of publication, n (%) | |
English and non-English | 31 (47.0%) |
Not reported | 18 (27.3%) |
English publications only | 17 (25.8%) |
Eligibility of study design, n (%) | |
Only observational studies | 28 (42.4%) |
Only RCT’s studies | 12 (18.2%) |
RCT’s and observational studies | 12 (18.2%) |
Not reported | 12 (18.2%) |
RCT’s, observational studies and reviews | 1 (1.5%) |
Observational studies and reviews | 1 (1.5%) |
Assessing quality/methodology of primary studies, n (%) | |
Not reported | 38 (57.6%) |
PEDro scale | 7 (10.6%) |
Cochrane risk-of-bias tool | 6 (9.1%) |
Custom scale | 5 (7.6%) |
SORT scale | 3 (4.5%) |
MINORS tool | 2 (3.0%) |
OCEBM Levels of Evidence | 2 (3.0%) |
QUADAS tool | 1 (1.5%) |
QUADAS-2 tool | 1 (1.5%) |
MORE checklist | 1 (1.5%) |