Nirmatrelvir combined with ritonavir for preventing and treating COVID-19 This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and safety of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®) plus standard of care compared to standard of care with or without placebo, or any other proven intervention for treating COVID-19 and for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is a protocol....

How accurate are remote, virtual assessments at diagnosing dementia? Why is this question important? Dementia is a chronic and progressive condition that affects peoples' memory and ability to function day-to-day. A clinical diagnosis of dementia usually involves brain scans, physical examinations and history taking. As a first step, we often use memory and thinking tests to identify people who need further assessment. Traditionally these tests are performed in-person, but modifications of the tests allow them to be used over the telephone or via video calls – sometimes called 'remote...

Diclofenac for acute postoperative pain in children This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and safety of diclofenac (any dose) for acute postoperative pain management in children compared with placebo, other active comparators, or diclofenac administered by either different routes (e.g. oral, rectal, etc.) or strategies (e.g. as needed versus as scheduled). This is a protocol....

Stereotactic body radiation therapy versus more fractionated radical radiotherapy for adults with stage I/II non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness and toxicity of different SBRT schedules (± additional treatments) in comparison with various more fractionated radical radiotherapy schedules (± additional treatments) in controlling primary tumor and prolonging survival in people with early stage NSCLC, and to rank all the schedules based on...

Comparing narrow band imaging to regular cystoscopy for treatment of bladder cancer Review question How does a resection of bladder tissues guided by a special visualization method called narrow band imaging compare to a resection of bladder tissues guided by the standard visualization method (using white light) in people with tumors in their inner bladder wall? Background When people are suspected to have bladder cancer or have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, their doctors need to inspect the bladder closely and remove tissues for further examination. The removal of tumorous tissues...

Remote, face-to-face, and group-based interventions for promoting strength training in healthy community-based adults This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: Primary objective To assess the benefits and harms of remote, face-to-face, and group-based interventions for promoting strength training on participation in healthy, community-based adults. Secondary objectives To assess how the method of intervention delivery (for example the delivering professional, face-to-face versus remote, group-based versus individual, supervised versus...

Prophylactic anticoagulants for non-hospitalised people with COVID-19 This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of prophylactic anticoagulants versus active comparator, placebo or no intervention, on mortality and occurrence of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in non-hospitalised people with COVID‐19. This is a protocol....

Psychological and social interventions for the promotion of mental health in people living in low- and middle-income countries affected by humanitarian crises This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy of psychosocial interventions aimed at promoting mental health versus control conditions (no intervention, intervention as usual, or waiting list) in people living in LMICs affected by humanitarian crises. This is a protocol....

The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) for the detection of dementia in a variety of healthcare settings This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) for the detection of all-cause dementia or its subtypes (Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia) in primary and secondary healthcare settings, and in community-based epidemiological studies (for example, in a cross-sectional prevalence...

Adults' views and experiences of vaccines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative evidence synthesis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (qualitative). The objectives are as follows: Objectives The objective of this review is to identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies that explored adults’ views and experiences towards vaccination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary objective is to compare this evidence with qualitative evidence that explores people’s perspectives of vaccines developed in response to Ebola, Hong Kong flu and...

Control interventions in randomised trials for people with a mental health disorder This systematic review assesses the effects of different control interventions in randomised trials including patients with a mental health disorder. In randomised trials, patients are assigned by chance to one of two or more groups – usually an experimental intervention and a control intervention. There are many types of control interventions in mental health intervention research. Some of the most common are different types of placebos that lack what is assumed to be the active component in the experimental...

Prophylactic cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor drugs to prevent morbidity and mortality in preterm infants Review question Among the available cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor (COX-I) drugs (indomethacin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen), which one is the safest and most effective in preventing death and poor outcomes in preterm infants when given prophylactically without the prior knowledge of the presence of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) within the first 72 hours after birth? Background A PDA is a common complication in preterm or low-birth weight infants. PDA is an open vascular channel between the lungs...

Are patient outcomes superior after endovascular or open surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms? Background A thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) is a widening or swelling of a blood vessel 50% greater than the original vessel diameter, affecting the thoracic and abdominal aorta simultaneously. A TAAA greater than 6.0 cm to 6.5 cm in diameter (depending on the gender of the patient, or the presence of an underlying inherited weakness in the aortic wall), or a TAAA expanding faster than 1 cm per year, is regarded as a life-threatening condition if left untreated, and...

Step-by-step (algorithm-based) pain management for people with dementia living in nursing homes What is the aim of this review? We were interested in how nurses can best manage pain in people with dementia living in nursing homes. Pain management involves measuring pain and providing pain treatment if necessary. We aimed to find out whether step-by-step guidance (an algorithm) for nurses on how to manage pain can reduce pain or behaviours that may indicate someone is in distress (such as hitting, shouting or wandering). What was studied in the review? People with dementia in nursing homes...

Follow-up approaches after abortion at 14 gestation weeks or later This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of alternative follow-up care approaches compared to routine, in-person follow-up for abortions occurring at 14 weeks or later gestation. This is a protocol....

Interventions for treating catheter-related bloodstream infections in people receiving maintenance haemodialysis What is the issue? Patients with kidney failure require kidney replacement therapy (KRT) to sustain life. Among KRT options, haemodialysis (HD) is the primary method of dialysis. Patients receiving HD via an indwelling catheter have a higher risk of developing bloodstream infections. There are several options for treating these bloodstream infections. These include lock solutions (the infusion of high doses of antibiotic inside each of the catheter ports between the dialysis...

The timing of treatment for broken bones in the legs and arms that also have open wounds Key messages We are uncertain whether the different timings of treatments (antibiotics, wound cleaning and whether to do all the surgery in one operation or more) might affect how well people recover from open long bone fractures. We found very few studies, and they did not provide reliable evidence. What is an open fracture? Some broken bones include open skin wounds around the break. These are called open fractures and are most common in high impact injuries such as road traffic accidents or falls from...

Pharmacological and electronic cigarette interventions for smoking cessation in adults: component network meta-analyses This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To conduct component network meta-analyses (cNMAs) to investigate the comparative effectiveness, safety and tolerability of different smoking cessation pharmacotherapies and electronic cigarettes (EC), singly and combined, when helping people to stop smoking tobacco. To investigate: how the different characteristics of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies and EC interventions (e.g....

Antibiotics for preventing infection following surgery to treat stress urinary incontinence in women Review question Are antibiotics safe and effective for preventing infection in women with stress urinary incontinence who are undergoing continence surgery? Background Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is defined as uncontrolled leakage of urine when the pressure inside the abdomen increases suddenly, such as during coughing, sneezing or laughing. Continence surgery is one treatment for SUI. There are two types of procedures: open surgery, such as colposuspension (an incision in the abdomen...

Probiotics for treatment of chronic constipation in children What is the aim of this review? The aim of this Cochrane Review was to find out whether probiotics can be used to treat chronic constipation without a physical explanation in children (aged 0 to 18 years). We analysed data from 14 studies to answer this question. Key messages We were unable to draw conclusions when comparing probiotics to placebo for frequency of defecation in children treated for chronic constipation without a physical explanation. There may be no difference in treatment success between the two groups. There may...