RIVA-C
Many health professionals, researchers and patients use infographics and visual abstracts (hereafter referred to as ‘infographics) as a substitute for reading full-text articles and view infographics as tools to help them save time by not having to read the full text. This is a problem as many infographics summarising health and medical research do not present enough of the information that is needed to interpret research appropriately and guide wise healthcare decisions.
The Reporting Infographics and Visual Abstracts of Comparative studies (RIVA-C) checklist and guide was developed using a two-stage modified Delphi process to facilitate the creation of clear and sufficiently detailed infographics summarising comparative studies of health and medical interventions. The primary audience for the RIVA-C checklist and guide is developers of infographics.
The need for the RIVA-C checklist and guide was identified by a survey of how people use infographics. Possible checklist items were informed by a systematic review of how infographics report research and a two-round, modified Delphi survey of 92 infographic developers/designers, researchers, health professionals and other key stakeholders. The final checklist includes 10 items. Accompanying explanation and both text and graphical examples linked to the items were developed and pilot tested over a 6-month period. The RIVA-C checklist and guide provides comprehensive guidance on how to create clear, transparent and sufficiently detailed infographics which summarise comparative studies of health and medical interventions. Accurate infographics can ensure research findings are communicated appropriately and not misinterpreted.
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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
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For further information, contact Dr Joshua Zadro: joshua.zadro@sydney.edu.au
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