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Table 1 Checklist for reporting studies on time to diagnosis (REST). More detailed explanation on items and examples are given in Additional file 5

From: Reporting studies on time to diagnosis: proposal of a guideline by an international panel (REST)

Number

Items

Pagec

Title

 1

Identify the article as a study on time to diagnosis

 

Introduction

 2aa

Explain the scientific background and rationale for the study

 

 2ba

State specific objective(s)

 

Methods

 3a

Describe the setting, location(s), and relevant dates, including periods of recruitment

 

 4

State eligibility criteria of participants (i.e., inclusion and exclusion criteria, especially diagnostic criteria)

 

 5

Describe the source population (i.e., the population with signs and symptoms that usually trigger healthcare professionals to initiate the diagnostic procedures) and how the participants were identified within it

 

 6b

State how known subgroups of participants with an inherent individual risk of short or long time to diagnosis were handled (e.g., by subgroup analysis, exclusion)

 

 7

Define time points (e.g., time of first signs and symptoms, time of diagnosis) and time intervalsb (e.g., patient or physician intervals)

 

 8a

State the methods used to collect study data (e.g., extraction from medical records, participant interview or questionnaires, analysis of an already existing database, other)

 

 9

Describe how time points were assessed (e.g., number of assessors, their qualifications)

 

 10ab

If the study aimed to evaluate associations between participant characteristics and time to diagnosis, state whether assessors of time to diagnosis were blinded to these characteristics

 

 10bb

If the study aimed to evaluate associations between time to diagnosis and participant health outcomes (e.g., survival), state whether assessors of time to diagnosis were blinded to these outcomes

 

 11

Describe the statistical methods used, including whether time to diagnosis was analyzed as a continuous or categorized variable (e.g., delayed versus not delayed)

 

 12b

If the study aimed to evaluate associations between time to diagnosis and other factors (e.g., participant characteristics or health outcomes), describe which confounders were considered and how they were chosen, measured and analyzed

 

 13a

Give a rationale for the sample size

 

Results

 14

Report the number of individuals at each step of the selection process between the source population and participants with data analyzed and provide a flowchart (see example); give reasons for non-participation at each stage

 

 15a

Report demographic and clinical characteristics of participants

 

 16

Report the distribution of time to diagnosis

 

 17b

If associations between time to diagnosis and other factors (e.g., participant characteristics or health outcomes) were described, report measures of association and their precision (e.g., confidence intervals)

 

Discussion

 18a

Summarize key results with reference to study objectives and discuss their potential clinical implications

 

 19a

Discuss sources of potential bias, including bias due to the selection of participants from the source population (e.g., undiagnosed cases) and to the assessment of time points

 

 19bb

If association between time to diagnosis and survival was studied, discuss possible lead-time bias

 
  1. aItems common with other reporting guidelines (CONSORT, STARD, STROBE) in their meaning
  2. bOptional items depending on the studied condition or the study objectives
  3. cAuthors should precisely state the page number on which the item is reported, or NA if not applicable