Costantino, F, Carmona, L, Boers, M et al. (20 more authors) (2021) EULAR recommendations for the reporting of ultrasound studies in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. ISSN 0003-4967
Abstract
Objective To produce European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the reporting of ultrasound studies in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Methods Based on the literature reviews and expert opinion (through Delphi surveys), a taskforce of 23 members (12 experts in ultrasound in RMDs, 9 in methodology and biostatistics together with a patient research partner and a health professional in rheumatology) developed a checklist of items to be reported in every RMD study using ultrasound. This checklist was further refined by involving a panel of 79 external experts (musculoskeletal imaging experts, methodologists, journal editors), who evaluated its comprehensibility, feasibility and comprehensiveness. Agreement on each proposed item was assessed with an 11-point Likert scale, grading from 0 (total disagreement) to 10 (full agreement). Results Two face-to-face meetings, as well as two Delphi rounds of voting, resulted in a final checklist of 23 items, including a glossary of terminology. Twentyone of these were considered ’mandatory’ items to be reported in every study (such as blinding, development of scoring systems, definition of target pathologies) and 2 ’optional’ to be reported only if applicable, such as possible confounding factors (ie, ambient conditions) or experience of the sonographers. Conclusion An EULAR taskforce developed a checklist to ensure transparent and comprehensive reporting of aspects concerning research and procedures that need to be presented in studies using ultrasound in RMDs. This checklist, if widely adopted by authors and editors, will greatly improve the interpretability of study development and results, including the assessment of validity, generalisability and applicability.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. This is an author produced version of an article published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Institute of Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) (Leeds) > Musculoskeletal Medicine & Imaging (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 07 Jan 2021 14:55 |
Last Modified: | 29 Jan 2021 09:59 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | BMJ |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219816 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169502 |
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