How can we best communicate the findings of public health-related systematic reviews? A Study Within a Review (SWAR)

Background and aims: Systematic reviews contain scientific language and complex analyses which may only be comprehensible to researchers or clinicians. However, it is imperative that public health-related systematic reviews are effectively communicated to the public. Plain language summaries and podcasts may improve the communication of important review findings. We conducted a Study Within a Review (SWAR) to evaluate comprehension of plain language systematic review summaries presented as either text or audio. We also aimed to evaluate enjoyment, perceived understanding, interest in reading the full-text, and information retention. Methods Participants (n = 105) were consented and randomly assigned to a Reading or Listening Group and given the relevant type of summary for two systematic reviews. Comprehension, enjoyment, perceived understanding, and interest in reading the full text were assessed immediately. Several weeks later, comprehension was re-assessed to evaluate information retention. Data were non-normally distributed and non-parametric tests were used to compare groups. Results Science-educated participants achieved higher comprehension scores in the Reading Group than those without a science education; however, there was no such difference in the Listening Group. Older participants were less likely to be ‘high-scorers’ than younger people, but only in the Listening Group. Participants’ perceived understanding did not align with their actual comprehension. Information retention was poor across both groups, but particularly in the Reading Group. Conclusions These novel data suggest that plain language summaries of systematic reviews are incompletely understood by some. This SWAR underscores the need for tailored communication strategies to effectively disseminate systematic review findings. Trial registration: This study did not include a health care intervention on human participants. The Study Within a Review (SWAR) was based on a SWAR 02, registered in the Global SWAR Repository: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/TheNorthernIrelandNetworkforTrialsMethodologyResearch/SWATSWARInformation/Repositories/SWARStore/