2.3. Data extraction and critical appraisal

We extracted quality criteria and publication characteristics using standardized data extraction forms. One researcher (SSch) performed the data extractions and quality assessments of included publications, and a second researcher (MO) verified them. If criteria were reported for a specific context, we generalized them (e.g., “Included cases in treatment optimization studies of the German Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH)” ⁹ to “Number/Proportion of clinical trial participation”). We summarized the quality criteria thematically. Since we did not aim to summarize how the criteria can be measured, we did not extract this information.

We used the critical appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) ¹⁸ to assess the selected publications' quality and risk of bias. We applied the critical appraisal checklists for cross‐sectional, cohort, and qualitative studies, and for systematic reviews. Each checklist consists of eight to eleven criteria depending on the type of publication. If a publication used different methodological approaches (e.g., systematic review and qualitative part), we applied all respective checklists. As the JBI does not provide a rating scale for publication quality, we defined three quality categories. Criteria judged as “not applicable” were not considered in the quality assessment. We defined “Quality 1” if publications met all criteria, “Quality 2” if publications did not meet one or two criteria of the respective checklist, and “Quality 3” if publications did not meet three or more criteria (Table 1, Data S1).

Included publications and guideline documents (n = 18) reporting quality criteria for pediatric oncology.

Patient‐relevant outcomes: survival, treatment‐related death, health‐related quality of life, pain, and long‐term consequences of the disease and therapy

Outcomes for procedures and infrastructure: information on standards and clinical practice guidelines, particular features of quality indicators, and organizational requirements for psychosocial support and rehabilitation

34 Quality indicators for pediatric CNS tumors

How defined quality indicators are met in the audit; outcome given by the quality indicators for pediatric CNS tumors

SR: Quality 3

QR: Quality 2

Abbreviations: AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; DKG, German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft); G‐BA, Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss); IQWiG, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen); NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; SIOPE, The European Society for peadiatric oncology; TTA, time to antibiotics.