Double Screening in Systematic Reviews

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As anyone who has worked on a systematic review (SR) knows, screening references for the study selection stage of the SR process can be quite time consuming and labor intensive. Ideally, the screening should be done by two people working independently, so it is a lot of work – times two! It’s not surprising, therefore, that many researchers wonder:

  • if they can get away with single screening
  • if there exists some way to automate part, or all, of the screening stage

Single Screening vs. Double Screening

An August 2020 paper by Mahtani et al. explores the latest evidence on this topic (see some examples listed below) and summarizes the guidance from leading evidence synthesis organizations/producers like the Cochrane Collaboration, the Joanna Briggs Institute, the Campbell Collaboration, and the Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Standards for Systematic Reviews of Comparative Effectiveness Research – all of whom recommend (in their handbooks and documentation) that at least two people working independently be involved in the screening process.

Mahtani KR, Heneghan C, Aronson J. Single screening or double screening for study selection in systematic reviews? BMJ Evid Based Med. 2020 Aug;25(4):149-150. doi: 10.1136/bmjebm-2019-111269. Epub 2019 Nov 13. PMID: 31722997. 

Waffenschmidt S, Knelangen M, Sieben W, Bühn S, Pieper D. Single screening versus conventional double screening for study selection in systematic reviews: a methodological systematic review. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2019 Jun 28;19(1):132. doi: 10.1186/s12874-019-0782-0. PMID: 31253092; PMCID: PMC6599339. 

Edwards P, Clarke M, DiGuiseppi C, Pratap S, Roberts I, Wentz R. Identification of randomized controlled trials in systematic reviews: accuracy and reliability of screening records. Stat Med. 2002 Jun 15;21(11):1635-40. doi: 10.1002/sim.1190. PMID: 12111924. 

Conventional vs. Automated or Semi-Automated Screening

Quite a bit of research is currently being done on automating steps of the systematic review process, particularly investigating using AI/machine learning or text mining/natural language processing to replace the second reviewer (ie. semi-automated screening) and/or to reduce the number of records needed to be screened. There are already software tools in existence that have introduced relevance prediction/screening prioritization capabilities (for example, Abstrackr, DistillerSR/DistillerAI, EPPI-Reviewer, RobotAnalyst, etc.) but their performance is largely still under evaluation.

As technology improves, it’s highly likely that we will someday soon see acceptance of automated screening tool use for study selection in systematic reviews by leaders in the evidence synthesis field, but we are still far from there yet.  Progress in this area is already being made, however, as demonstrated by the creation and efforts of the International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR):

Beller E, Clark J, Tsafnat G, Adams C, Diehl H, Lund H, Ouzzani M, Thayer K, Thomas J, Turner T, Xia J, Robinson K, Glasziou P; founding members of the ICASR group. Making progress with the automation of systematic reviews: principles of the International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR). Syst Rev. 2018 May 19;7(1):77. doi: 10.1186/s13643-018-0740-7. PMID: 29778096; PMCID: PMC5960503.

O’Connor AM, Glasziou P, Taylor M, Thomas J, Spijker R, Wolfe MS. A focus on cross-purpose tools, automated recognition of study design in multiple disciplines, and evaluation of automation tools: a summary of significant discussions at the fourth meeting of the International Collaboration for Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR). Syst Rev. 2020 May 4;9(1):100. doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01351-4. PMID: 32366302; PMCID: PMC7199360.

Be sure to check out the MSK Library’s Systematic Review Service LibGuide or Ask Us for more information if you are thinking about embarking on a systematic review project.

A Wedding at MSK

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No one envisions themselves getting married in a hospital. But that’s where Miranda Wickham and Enver Candan found themselves saying “I do” just weeks after Mr. Candan was admitted to MSK for acute promyelocytic leukemia treatment.

As The New York Times reported, after COVID-19 and the cancer diagnosis canceled two earlier plans to wed, the couple applied for a marriage license and expected to sign some forms at the hospital to make their union official. But the staff on Mr. Candan’s floor saw to it that it was an event to remember. They recruited Recovery Room Nurse and Universal Life Minister Sonja Schedler as the officiant, provided flowers picked from a staff member’s garden, blew bubbles as the couple walked down the hall, and turned a conference room into a festive reception space.

“We didn’t even know them personally, and all of these people had done all this. It was very emotional,” Ms. Wickham told The New York Times.

New eBook : Image-Guided Interventions

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The Library has added a new eBook to our collection, entitled Image-Guided Interventions. This third edition covers the field of interventional radiology (IR), and offers a “comprehensive, narrative coverage of vascular and nonvascular interventional imaging—ideal for IR subspecialists as well as residents and fellows in IR.”

This text aids in formulating effective treatment strategies, communication with patients, and avoiding complications. Major topics and features include patient care and communication tips, indications and contraindications for interventional procedures, image-guided intervention techniques, video demonstrations of image-guided procedures, and more.