The efficacy, safety, and cost benefits of splints for fractures of the distal radius in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BACKGROUND: Distal radius fractures (DRFs) is one of the most common bone injuries in children, which may lead to deformity and other complications if the treatment is not prompt or appropriate. Splints external fixation is a common conservative treatment for such fractures. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy, safety and cost benefits of splints in the treatment of DRFs in children. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and VIP Database were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The methodological quality of the included studies and the level of evidence for results were assessed, respectively, using the risk bias assessment tool of Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method. Statistical analysis was conducted with Revman 5.3. RESULTS: This study will analyze and integrate the existing evidence for effectiveness, safety and cost benefits of splints on DRFs in children. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to effectiveness, safety and cost benefits of splints on DRFs in children, which can further guide the selection of appropriate interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019123429