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Table 3 The certainty of evidence using GRADE and the criteria support for the concept in the mixed methods synthesis

From: Underreporting of workers’ injuries or illnesses and contributing factors: a systematic review

GRADE

Contributing factors

Studies

Sample size

Assessment

Explanation

Sociodemographic characteristics

 Age

Biddle [16]

1,598

Low

 

 Sex

Makary [20], Boden [24], Yang [28], Lee [7]

9.837

Very low

Risk of bias, inconsistency

 Race/ethnicity

Boden [24], Lee [7]

1,743

Very low

Risk of bias, inconsistency

 Education

Qin [23], Lee [7]

2,810

Very low

Risk of bias, inconsistency

 Income

Rosenman [15]

1,598

Low

 

 Marital status

Fan [17]

321

Very low

Imprecision of results

Injury type and severity

 Activity limitation

Rosenman [15]

1,598

Low

 

 Absence from work

Rosenman [15]

1,598

Low

 

 Severe symptoms

Biddle [16], Makary [20], Qin [23]

4,936

Low

Indirectness of evidence

 Number of injuries

Makary [20]

699

Very Low

Risk of bias

Psychosocial work environment

 Social support

Rosenman [15], Qin [23]

4,237

Moderate

 

 Safety training

Lipscomb [6], Boden [24]

2,592

Very low

Risk of bias, indirectness of evidence

 Safety incentive

Lipscomb [6]

1,020

Low

Risk of bias

 Job strain

Qin [23]

2,639

Low

Risk of bias

Job and employment

 Physical demand

Biddle [16], Qin [23]

4,237

Moderate

 

 Job tenure

Rosenman [15]

1,598

Low

 

 Type of work

Fan [17], Makary [20]

1,020

Very low

Risk of bias

 Work hour

Yang [28]

7,395

Low

 

General health and functioning

Biddle [16], Fan [17], Yang [28]

9,264

Very low

Risk of bias, indirectness of evidence

Knowledge regarding reporting

Makary [20]

699

Low

 

Healthcare provider

Rosenman [15]

1,598

Low

 

The criteria of support for the concept in the mixed-methods synthesis

Reasons for not reporting

Studies

Assessment

Explanation

Fear

Siddharthan [18], Moore [22], Pompeii [25]

 

Moderate

Inside-outside

Cumbersome time and effort

Siddharthan [18], Moore [22], Pompeii [25]

 

Moderate

Inside-outside

Perceptions of injuries as not severe or part of the job

Siddharthan [18], Moore [22], Pompeii [25]

 

Moderate

Inside-outside

Distrust of reporting

Siddharthan [18], Moore [22], Pompeii [3]

 

Low

Publication bias, inside-outside

Lack of knowledge

Moore [22], Pompeii [25]

 

Low

Publication bias, Inside-outside

  1. Risk of bias: limitations in study design and implement; Inconsistency: heterogeneity in study results; Indirectness of evidence: heterogeneity in measurement tools used or operationalization of outcome; Imprecision of results: wide confidence intervals and small sample size; Truth value/bias: the inferences related to an analytical concept remain sensitive to, and clearly reflective of the numeric and textual data from the primary studies; Explanation credibility: the analytical concept and the related inferences are theoretically and conceptually sound; Weakness minimization: the concept is supported by a range of data from different study designs; Inside-outside: the data related to the concept consists of both subjective (insider) views and objective (outsider) observations; Publication bias: there is at least one study that shows non-significant, null, or contrasting results