Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jul 16, 2022
Date Accepted: Aug 30, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: Dec 16, 2022
A Meta-Synthesis and Meta-Analysis of The Impact and Diagnostic Safety of COVID-19 Symptom Agnostic Rapid Testing in LMICs: Protocol for Systematic Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Amid all public health measures to contain COVID-19, the most challenging has been how to break the transmission chain. This has been even more challenging in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A public health emergency warrants a public health perspective, which comes down to prevention. Rapid mass testing has been advocated throughout the pandemic as a way to promptly deal with asymptomatic infections but their usefulness in LMICs is yet to be fully understood.
Objective:
The study objectives are to (1) investigate the impact of the different rapid mass testing options for SARS-CoV-2 that have been delivered at point-of-care in LMICs, and (2) evaluate the diagnostic safety (accuracy) of rapid mass testing for SARS-CoV-2 in LMICs.
Methods:
This review will systematically search records in PubMed, EBSCOhost, Cochrane library, GIM COVID-19 Register, and Scopus. Records will be managed by using Mendeley reference manager and SWIFT Review. The risk of bias for RCTs will be assessed using the RoB 2 assessment tool while non-randomized interventions will be assessed using the tool developed by the Evidence Project. A narrative approach will be used to synthesize data under the first objective, and either a meta-analysis or synthesis without meta-analysis for the second objective. Tables, figures, and textual descriptions will be used to present findings. The overall body of evidence for the first objective will be assessed using the GRADE-CERQual approach, and for the second objective using GRADE.
Results:
The study whose initial searches were performed in September 2021 is yet to start. The study will be reported in accordance with standard guidelines for the reporting of systematic reviews. Review results will be disseminated through conferences and their peer-reviewed publication in a relevant journal.
Conclusions:
This review highlights the role of a preventive approach in infection control using rapid mass testing. It also flags the overriding need to involve users and providers in the evaluation of such tests in the settings for which they are intended. This will be the first review to the best of our knowledge to generate both qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding rapid mass testing specific to low and middle-income countries. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO ID: CRD42022283776
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