Overlapping research efforts in a global pandemic: a rapid systematic review of COVID-19-related individual participant data meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Individual participant data meta-analyses (IPD-MAs), which involve harmonising and analysing participant-level data from related studies, provide several advantages over aggregate data meta-analyses, which pool study-level findings. IPD-MAs are especially important for building and evaluating diagnostic and prognostic models, making them an important tool for informing the research and public health responses to COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a rapid systematic review of protocols and publications from planned, ongoing, or completed COVID-19-related IPD-MAs to identify areas of overlap and maximise data request and harmonisation efforts. We searched four databases using a combination of text and MeSH terms. Two independent reviewers determined eligibility at the title-abstract and full-text stages. Data were extracted by one reviewer into a pretested data extraction form and subsequently reviewed by a second reviewer. Data were analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. A formal risk of bias assessment was not conducted. RESULTS: We identified 31 COVID-19-related IPD-MAs, including five living IPD-MAs and ten IPD-MAs that limited their inference to published data (e.g., case reports). We found overlap in study designs, populations, exposures, and outcomes of interest. For example, 26 IPD-MAs included RCTs; 17 IPD-MAs were limited to hospitalised patients. Sixteen IPD-MAs focused on evaluating medical treatments, including six IPD-MAs for antivirals, four on antibodies, and two that evaluated convalescent plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Collaboration across related IPD-MAs can leverage limited resources and expertise by expediting the creation of cross-study participant-level data datasets, which can, in turn, fast-track evidence synthesis for the improved diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 10.17605/OSF.IO/93GF2.

Guidance for ensuring fair and ethical broad consent for future use. A scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Broad consent for future use is the reuse of data and/or samples collected by a study by researchers who may not be affiliated with the original study team for purposes that may differ from the objectives of the original study. Sharing participant-level data and samples collected from research participants facilitates reuse and transparency and can accelerate drug or vaccine development, research findings, and translation. Data reuse and synthesis help prevent unnecessary research, thereby respecting research participants time and efforts and building their trust in the research process. Despite these myriad benefits, data and sample sharing represent a significant investment of time for the team that collected the data or samples, and may present additional risks for research participants, including that of re-identifiability and incidental findings, or for the source community. This scoping review will summarize existing guidance on broad consent for future use and highlight evidence gaps related to the ethical, equitable implementation of broad consent for future use. Methods and analysis: We will apply the Arskey and O'Malley scoping review methodology and best practice as outlined in the Joanna Briggs scoping review guidelines.  The research questions have been identified through a literature review and consultation with subject-matter experts. The systematic search will be conducted in three databases using a tailored search strategy. We will search the reference lists of included articles or related systematic reviews for additional citations. The title-abstract and full text screening and charting the data will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Discrepancies will be resolved by a third reviewer. Results will be summarized in narrative form. Ethics and dissemination: This scoping review summarizes findings from existing publications and grey literature rather than primary data and, as such, does not require ethics review. Findings will be disseminated through an open access publication and webinar.