Improving how we understand drug safety in medical reviews

Improving results and conclusions about harms in systematic reviews of drugs

NIH-funded research Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11048663

This study is looking to make sure that the information about the safety of medications is clear and trustworthy by using smart technology to check thousands of reviews, helping doctors and patients make better decisions about their care.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniv of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Chapel Hill, United States)
Project IDNIH-11048663 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research aims to enhance the accuracy of systematic reviews that evaluate the safety of drugs by addressing inconsistencies in reported harms. It will utilize advanced natural language processing techniques to analyze over 19,000 systematic reviews published between 2004 and 2024. By comparing these reviews with real-world evidence and drug labels, the project seeks to ensure that patient safety information is reliable and comprehensive. This could lead to better-informed clinical guidelines and patient care.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are patients who are prescribed medications and are concerned about the safety and potential harms associated with their treatments.

Not a fit: Patients who are not currently taking medications or those who do not have concerns about drug safety may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more accurate assessments of drug safety, ultimately improving patient outcomes and safety in medication use.

How similar studies have performed: Other research has shown that improving the methodology of systematic reviews can lead to significant advancements in understanding drug safety, indicating that this approach has potential for success.

Where this research is happening

Chapel Hill, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.