Publication barriers and facilitators of Cochrane authors in sub‐Saharan Africa: A mixed‐methods study-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Publication barriers and facilitators of Cochrane authors in sub‐Saharan Africa: A mixed‐methods study

Published:2024-04 Issue:4 Volume:2 Page:
ISSN:2832-9023
Container-title:Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods
language:en
Short-container-title:Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods

Author:

Kallon Idriss I.¹^ORCID,Young Taryn¹,MacDonald Tonya A.²,Schoonees Anel¹,Oliver Joy³⁴,Arikpo Dachi I.⁵,Durão Solange⁴,Effa Emmanuel⁵,Hohlfeld Ameer S.‐J.³,Kredo Tamara¹³⁴⁶,Wiysonge Charles S.¹³⁷,Mbuagbaw Lawrence²⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹

Affiliation:

1. Centre for Evidence‐Based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa

2. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada

3. Cochrane South Africa South African Medical Research Council Cape Town South Africa

4. Health Systems Research Unit South African Medical Research Council Cape Town South Africa

5. Cochrane Nigeria, Calabar Institute of Tropical Diseases Research and Prevention University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Calabar Nigeria

6. Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa

7. Vaccine‐Preventable Diseases Programme World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa Brazzaville Congo

8. Department of Anesthesia McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada

9. Department of Pediatrics McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada

10. Biostatistics Unit, Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Hamilton Ontario Canada

11. Centre for Development of Best Practices in Health (CDBPH) Yaoundé Central Hospital Yaoundé Cameroon

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundWell‐conducted systematic reviews contribute to informing clinical practice and public health guidelines. Between 2008 and 2018 Cochrane authors in sub‐Saharan Africa were publishing progressively fewer Cochrane Reviews, compared to non‐Cochrane reviews. The objective of this study was to determine what motivated trained Cochrane authors in sub‐Saharan Africa to conduct and publish non‐Cochrane reviews over Cochrane Reviews.MethodsWe conducted a mixed‐methods exploratory sequential study. We purposely selected 12 authors, who had published at least one Cochrane‐ and one non‐Cochrane review, for in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews. We manually coded and analysed the qualitative data using Grounded Theory approach and used the results to inform the survey questions. Subsequently we surveyed 60 authors with similar publishing experience. We analysed the quantitative data using descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsFacilitators to publish with Cochrane were a high‐impact factor, rigorous research, and visibility. From barriers, the main categories were protracted time to complete Cochrane Reviews, complex title registration process, and inconsistencies between Cochrane Review groups regarding editorial practices. From the survey, authors confirmed rigorous research and reviewing process (84%), high impact factor (77%), and good mentorship (73%). The major barriers included Cochrane's long reviewing process (70%) and Cochrane's complicated title registration (50%). Authors with publishing experience in the previous 10 years at <95 percentile of systematic review publications, there was no significant difference between the medians for publishing with Cochrane (1) and non‐Cochrane (0) reviews, p = 0.06. Similarly, for those with publishing experience of ≥95 percentile of systematic review publication there was no significant difference between the medians for publishing with Cochrane (4) and non‐Cochrane (6), p = 0.344.ConclusionAuthors considered the visibility and relevance of Cochrane research as a trade‐off point. They continued publishing with Cochrane despite the barriers that they encountered. However, the concerns raised by many authors are worth addressing.

Publisher

Wiley

Link

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cesm.12054

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