Efficacy of sertraline for post-stroke depression: A systematic review protocol of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Depression is a prevalent disorder for patients with stroke. Clinical researches indicate that sertraline is utilized to treat post-stroke depression (PSD) effectively. However, no systematic review has investigated this issue yet presently. Thus, this study aims to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of sertraline for patients with PSD. METHODS: Literature sources will be divided into 2 sections: electronic sources and manual sources. We will search electronic literature sources as follows: EMBASE, MEDICINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from their inceptions to the February 28, 2019. Manual sources include dissertations, ongoing trials, and conference abstracts. Two reviewers will select the literatures, extract and collect data information, and evaluate the risk of bias independently. Statistical analysis will be carried out by using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Primary outcome is depression. It can be measured by Hamilton depression scale, Beck Depression Inventory, or any other scales. Secondary outcome are anxiety (as assessed by Hamilton anxiety scale, or other tools) response rate, activities of daily living (as measured by Barthel Index, or other scales), quality of life (as measured by 36-Item Short Form Health Survey), and safety. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review may summarize the up-to-date evidence on the efficacy and safety of sertraline for patients with PSD. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review will not need any ethical approval, because it will not analyze any individual patient data. The findings of this study are expected to disseminate at peer-reviewed journals.