Quality of Case Reports and Adherence to the CARE (Case Report) Guidelines: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Background & Objectives: The use of reporting guidelines aims to enhance the completeness and transparency of biomedical publications. The CARE guideline was developed in ۲۰۱۳ to assist researchers in improving the reporting of their case reports. In this study, drawing on evidence from studies that have evaluated the reporting quality of case reports based on the CARE guideline, we aim to conduct a scoping review focusing on the state-of-the-art adherence to the CARE guidelines in case reports and identifying factors associated with adherence to this guideline. Materials & Methods: The protocol for this scoping review follows the Arksey and O’Malley framework. We searched for meta-research studies indexed in four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus) from ۲۰۱۳ to ۲۰۲۳, for studies primarily aimed at evaluating the reporting quality of case reports based on the CARE guidelines. Study selection was performed in duplicate. This study report followed the PRISMA-ScR. Results: Our database searches retrieved ۳۵ studies, of which ۱۴ were included for full-text analysis. The publication rate has increased sharply in recent years; seven articles (۵۰%) were published in ۲۰۲۰ and ۲۰۲۱. Further analysis is in progress and scheduled for completion by July ۲۰۲۴. Conclusions: By conducting this scoping review, we attempted to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the quality of case reports based on the CARE guideline, identify gaps, and provide recommendations for the more efficient and meaningful use of the CARE reporting guideline in the future.