TY - JOUR
T1 - EULAR recommendations for the reporting of ultrasound studies in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs)
AU - Costantino, Félicie
AU - Carmona, Loreto
AU - Boers, Maarten
AU - Backhaus, Marina
AU - Balint, Peter V
AU - Bruyn, George A
AU - Christensen, Robin
AU - Conaghan, Philip G
AU - Ferreira, Ricardo J O
AU - Garrido-Castro, Juan Luis
AU - Guillemin, Francis
AU - Hammer, Hilde Berner
AU - van der Heijde, Désirée
AU - Iagnocco, Annamaria
AU - Kortekaas, Marion C
AU - Landewé, Robert Bm
AU - Mandl, Peter
AU - Naredo, Esperanza
AU - Schmidt, Wolfgang A
AU - Terslev, Lene
AU - Terwee, Caroline B
AU - Thiele, Ralf
AU - D'Agostino, Maria-Antonietta
N1 - COPECARE
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - 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. Twenty-one 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.
AB - 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. Twenty-one 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.
KW - Humans
KW - Musculoskeletal Diseases/diagnostic imaging
KW - Research Design/standards
KW - Rheumatic Diseases/diagnostic imaging
KW - Rheumatology/standards
KW - Ultrasonography/methods
KW - ultrasonography
KW - outcome and process assessment
KW - quality indicators
KW - healthcare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099968717&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219816
DO - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219816
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33483318
SN - 0003-4967
VL - 80
SP - 840
EP - 847
JO - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
IS - 7
ER -