Tolppa Timo, Hussaini Arishay, Ahmed Maham J, Bhattarai Amit, Aryal Diptesh, Hashmi Madiha, Dondorp Arjen M, Murthy Srinivas
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia, 10th Floor, Room 10117, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada.
Critical Care Research Group, Ziauddin University, 4/B Shahrah-e-Ghalib Road, Block 6 Clifton, Karachi, Sindh 75000, Pakistan.
J Clin Epidemiol. 2025 Jul;183:111800. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2025.111800. Epub 2025 Apr 22.
To systematically review and characterize the literature on using the pragmatic-explanatory continuum indicator summary (PRECIS) tools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), focusing on successes, challenges, and potential improvements to enhance applicability across diverse settings.
A systematic search of PubMed to identify peer-reviewed articles applying PRECIS tools to LMIC-based research. Data extraction focused on trial characteristics, modifications, and use of PRECIS tools. Narrative synthesis was used to outline successes, challenges, and recommendations.
A total of 40 articles met the selection criteria. The PRECIS tools were mostly (n = 39, 97.5%) used for purposes other than trial design. Significant variation was seen in methods of use and reporting. Most (n = 32, 80%) used PRECIS-2, valued for its reliability, ability to quantify pragmatism, assess trial design, and identify research gaps. Challenges included the tools' subjectivity, absence of information needed for scoring, interpretation of scores, and application to non-Western contexts and multinational trials. Recommendations for improvement included refining scoring criteria, translating guidance, and developing additional educational resources.
The PRECIS tools have successfully supported research globally and are perceived as reliable research tools with multiple strengths. Further guidance and refinement would enable consistent application and reporting, particularly as the tools have frequently been used for purposes other than their original intention. Most challenges were similar to high-income settings; however, translation and application of the tools to traditional medicine, international trials, and research-naïve settings were highlighted as LMIC-focused issues requiring consideration.
The pragmatic-explanatory continuum indicator summary (PRECIS) tools were created to help researchers design better studies. The tools were developed mainly by researchers from developed Western nations. Therefore, it is possible that the PRECIS tools are not as relevant to other places. To help improve the usefulness of the tools in all settings, our team wanted to learn from the experiences of people who had already used PRECIS in low- and middle-income countries. We systematically searched for academic papers on this topic published before May 2022 and found 40 relevant articles. The articles showed that the PRECIS tools had been successfully used in many, often unexpected, ways to support research. Some researchers struggled with using the tool to assess research conducted by others, as relevant information was not available. Researchers recommended translating the tools to other languages and asked for more guidance to use the tool in specific circumstances, such as Chinese herbal medicine and large international research projects. Advice on the best ways to use the PRECIS tools and report the findings would also be beneficial. We share these findings to help those designing the next version of the tool make it useful for researchers working in all parts of the world.
系统回顾和描述关于在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）使用务实-解释性连续统指标摘要（PRECIS）工具的文献，重点关注成功经验、挑战以及为提高在不同环境中的适用性而可能做出的改进。
对PubMed进行系统检索，以识别将PRECIS工具应用于基于LMICs研究的同行评审文章。数据提取集中在试验特征、修改以及PRECIS工具的使用情况。采用叙述性综合分析来概述成功经验、挑战和建议。
共有40篇文章符合入选标准。PRECIS工具大多（n = 39，97.5%）用于试验设计以外的目的。在使用方法和报告方面存在显著差异。大多数（n = 32，80%）使用PRECIS-2，因其可靠性、量化务实性的能力、评估试验设计以及识别研究差距的能力而受到重视。挑战包括工具的主观性、缺乏评分所需信息以及分数的解释，以及在非西方背景和跨国试验中的应用。改进建议包括完善评分标准、翻译指南以及开发更多教育资源。
PRECIS工具在全球范围内成功支持了研究，并被视为具有多种优势的可靠研究工具。进一步的指导和完善将有助于实现一致的应用和报告，特别是因为这些工具经常被用于其初衷以外的目的。大多数挑战与高收入环境相似；然而，将工具翻译并应用于传统医学、国际试验以及缺乏研究经验的环境被视为需要考虑的以LMICs为重点的问题。
务实-解释性连续统指标摘要（PRECIS）工具旨在帮助研究人员设计更好的研究。这些工具主要由西方发达国家的研究人员开发。因此，PRECIS工具可能与其他地区不太相关。为了提高这些工具在所有环境中的实用性，我们的团队希望借鉴那些已经在低收入和中等收入国家使用PRECIS的人的经验。我们系统检索了2022年5月之前发表的关于这个主题的学术论文，发现了4篇相关文章。文章表明，PRECIS工具已经以多种往往意想不到的方式成功用于支持研究。一些研究人员在使用该工具评估他人进行的研究时遇到困难，因为缺乏相关信息。研究人员建议将这些工具翻译成其他语言，并要求提供更多指导，以便在特定情况下使用该工具，如中药和大型国际研究项目。关于使用PRECIS工具的最佳方法以及报告研究结果方面的建议也将是有益的。我们分享这些发现，以帮助那些设计该工具下一版本的人使其对世界各地的研究人员有用。
