PRISMA-C

Evidence suggests that newborn and child health systematic reviews and meta-analyses exhibit poor quality in reporting. The Preferred Reporting Items in Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’(PRISMA) and PRISMA-(Protocol) checklists have been developed to improve the reporting of systematic reviews results and protocols, respectively. We aimed to identify areas where reporting could be strengthened, underpinning a rationale for the implementation of child-centric extensions and modifications to current PRISMA and PRISMA-P, such as to improve reporting in this population.

In collaboration with members of the PRISMA Group, we are developing a consensus-based checklist of essential items which researchers should include when reporting systematic reviews (SRs) of pediatric intervention research. The PRISMA-Children guidance will 1) help authors write clear reports of their SRs of pediatric intervention research, 2) create a framework for reviewers that assess publications, 3) expedite funding evaluations, 4) provide a tool for training students and researchers on paediatric SR methodology, and 5) help end-users of the SR such as paediatricians and policy makers to better evaluate SR’s validity and applicability in their decision-making process.