Knowledge user involvement in rapid reviews

To maximize the relevance of rapid reviews (RR), knowledge user involvement is recommended. Knowledge users (KUs) are individuals who potentially will use synthesized evidence for decision making including clinicians, healthcare providers, health policy-makers, patients, members of patient organizations, caregivers, or the general public. Within the last years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for RRs and related guidance and training has grown. In parallel, awareness of the importance of KU involvement has increased. We will conduct a cross-sectional study analyzing a random sample of published RRs to investigate the degree and level of current KU involvement in RRs. We aim to assess the proportion of KU involvement in recently published RRs and whether KU involvement is associated with certain factors. In addition, we want to gain insight into which groups of KUs are involved in which phases of the RR process and to what extent they are involved.