NDLI: Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Colvin, Christopher J. Garside, Ruth Wainwright, Megan Munthe-Kaas, Heather Glenton, Claire Bohren, Meghan A. Carlsen, Benedicte Tunçalp, Özge Noyes, Jane Booth, Andrew Rashidian, Arash Flottorp, Signe Lewin, Simon
Abstract	Background The GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) approach has been developed by the GRADE working group. The approach has been developed to support the use of findings from qualitative evidence syntheses in decision-making, including guideline development and policy formulation. CERQual includes four components for assessing how much confidence to place in findings from reviews of qualitative research (also referred to as qualitative evidence syntheses): (1) methodological limitations, (2) relevance, (3) coherence and (4) adequacy of data. This paper is part of a series providing guidance on how to apply CERQual and focuses on CERQual’s coherence component. Methods We developed the coherence component by searching the literature for definitions, gathering feedback from relevant research communities and developing consensus through project group meetings. We tested the CERQual coherence component within several qualitative evidence syntheses before agreeing on the current definition and principles for application. Results When applying CERQual, we define coherence as how clear and cogent the fit is between the data from the primary studies and a review finding that synthesises that data. In this paper, we describe the coherence component and its rationale and offer guidance on how to assess coherence in the context of a review finding as part of the CERQual approach. This guidance outlines the information required to assess coherence, the steps that need to be taken to assess coherence and examples of coherence assessments. Conclusions This paper provides guidance for review authors and others on undertaking an assessment of coherence in the context of the CERQual approach. We suggest that threats to coherence may arise when the data supporting a review finding are contradictory, ambiguous or incomplete or where competing theories exist that could be used to synthesise the data. We expect the CERQual approach, and its individual components, to develop further as our experiences with the practical implementation of the approach increase.
Related Links	https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13012-017-0691-8.pdf
Ending Page	41
Page Count	9
Starting Page	33
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17485908
DOI	10.1186/s13012-017-0691-8
Journal	Implementation Science
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	13
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2018-01-25
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Health Services Research Public Health Health Informatics Health Policy Health Administration Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Qualitative research Qualitative evidence synthesis Systematic review methodology Research design Methodology Confidence Guidance Evidence-based practice Coherence GRADE
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Policy Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Health Informatics
Journal Impact Factor	8.8/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	9.2/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 3: how to assess methodological limitations

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 5: how to assess adequacy of data

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings–paper 6: how to assess relevance of the data

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 2: how to make an overall CERQual assessment of confidence and create a Summary of Qualitative Findings table

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings: introduction to the series

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings–paper 7: understanding the potential impacts of dissemination bias

The use of GRADE-CERQual in qualitative evidence synthesis: an evaluation of fidelity and reporting

Expanding the evidence base for global recommendations on health systems: strengths and challenges of the OptimizeMNH guidance process

Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES) for Guidelines: Paper 2 – Using qualitative evidence synthesis findings to inform evidence-to-decision frameworks and recommendations

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 4: how to assess coherence

Similar Documents

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 3: how to assess methodological limitations

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 5: how to assess adequacy of data

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings–paper 6: how to assess relevance of the data

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 2: how to make an overall CERQual assessment of confidence and create a Summary of Qualitative Findings table

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings: introduction to the series

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings–paper 7: understanding the potential impacts of dissemination bias

The use of GRADE-CERQual in qualitative evidence synthesis: an evaluation of fidelity and reporting

Expanding the evidence base for global recommendations on health systems: strengths and challenges of the OptimizeMNH guidance process

Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES) for Guidelines: Paper 2 – Using qualitative evidence synthesis findings to inform evidence-to-decision frameworks and recommendations

Applying GRADE-CERQual to qualitative evidence synthesis findings—paper 4: how to assess coherence