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van Aert RCM, Wicherts JM. Correcting for outcome reporting bias in a meta-analysis: A meta-regression approach. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:1994-2012. [PMID: 37540470 PMCID: PMC10991008 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02132-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Outcome reporting bias (ORB) refers to the biasing effect caused by researchers selectively reporting outcomes within a study based on their statistical significance. ORB leads to inflated effect size estimates in meta-analysis if only the outcome with the largest effect size is reported due to ORB. We propose a new method (CORB) to correct for ORB that includes an estimate of the variability of the outcomes' effect size as a moderator in a meta-regression model. An estimate of the variability of the outcomes' effect size can be computed by assuming a correlation among the outcomes. Results of a Monte-Carlo simulation study showed that the effect size in meta-analyses may be severely overestimated without correcting for ORB. Estimates of CORB are close to the true effect size when overestimation caused by ORB is the largest. Applying the method to a meta-analysis on the effect of playing violent video games on aggression showed that the effect size estimate decreased when correcting for ORB. We recommend to routinely apply methods to correct for ORB in any meta-analysis. We provide annotated R code and functions to help researchers apply the CORB method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbie C M van Aert
- Department of Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Jelte M Wicherts
- Department of Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands
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McClenahan BJ, Lojacono M, Young JL, Schenk RJ, Rhon DI. Trials and tribulations of transparency related to inconsistencies between plan and conduct in peer-reviewed physiotherapy publications: A methodology review. J Eval Clin Pract 2024; 30:12-29. [PMID: 36709480 DOI: 10.1111/jep.13810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The physiotherapy profession strives to be a leader in providing quality care and strongly recognizes the value of research to guide clinical practice. Adherence to guidelines for research reporting and conduct is a significant step towards high-quality, transparent and reproducible research. AIM/OBJECTIVE Assess integrity between planned and conducted methodology in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews (SRs) published in physiotherapy journals. METHODS Eighteen journals were manually searched for RCTs and SRs published from 1 July 2021 through 31 December 2021. Studies were included if the journal or specific study was indexed in PubMed and published/translated in English. Descriptive statistics determined congruence between preregistration data and publication. RESULTS Forty RCTs and 68 SRs were assessed. Forty-three SRs included meta-analysis (MA). Of the 34 registered RCTs, 7 (20.6%) had no discrepancy between the registration and publication. Two trials (5.9%) addressed all discrepancies, 4 (11.8%) addressed some and 21 (61.8%) did not address any discrepancies. Of the 36 registered MAs, 33 (91.7%) had discrepancies between the registration and publication. Two (5.6%) addressed all discrepancies and three (8.3%) had no discrepancies. Eight SRs without MA published information not matching their registration, and none provided justification for the discrepancies. CONCLUSION Most RCTs/SRs were registered; the majority had discrepancies between preregistration and publication, potentially influencing the outcomes and interpretations of findings. Journals should require preregistration and compare the submission with the registration information when assessing publication suitability. Readers should be aware of these inconsistencies and their implications when interpreting and translating results into practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J McClenahan
- Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy Program, Bellin College, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Rehabilitation Department, WellSpan, York, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Margaux Lojacono
- Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy Program, Bellin College, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jodi L Young
- Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy Program, Bellin College, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ronald J Schenk
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel I Rhon
- Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy Program, Bellin College, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Murphy E, Gillies K, Shiely F. How do trial teams plan for retention during the design stage of the trial? A scoping review. Trials 2023; 24:784. [PMID: 38049833 PMCID: PMC10694955 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07775-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Retention to trials is important to ensure the results of the trial are valid and reliable. The SPIRIT guidelines (18b) require "plans to promote participant retention and complete follow-up, including list of any outcome data to be collected for participants who discontinue or deviate from intervention protocols" be included in trial protocols. It is unknown how often protocols report this retention information. The purpose of our scoping review is to establish if, and how, trial teams report plans for retention during the design stage of the trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS A scoping review with searches in key databases (PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL (EBSCO), and Web of Science from 2014 to 2019 inclusive) to identify randomised controlled trial protocols. We produced descriptive statistics on the characteristics of the trial protocols and also on those adhering to SPIRIT item 18b. A narrative synthesis of the retention strategies was also conducted. RESULTS Eight-hundred and twenty-four protocols met our inclusion criteria. RCTs (n = 722) and pilot and feasibility trial protocols (n = 102) reported using the SPIRIT guidelines during protocol development 35% and 34.3% of the time respectively. Of these protocols, only 9.5% and 11.4% respectively reported all aspects of SPIRIT item 18b "plans to promote participant retention and to complete follow-up, including list of any outcome data for participants who discontinue or deviate from intervention protocols". Of the RCT protocols, 36.8% included proactive "plans to promote participant retention" regardless of whether they reported using SPIRIT guidelines or not. Most protocols planned "combined strategies" (48.1%). Of these, the joint most commonly reported were "reminders and data collection location and method" and "reminders and monetary incentives". The most popular individual retention strategy was "reminders" (14.7%) followed by "monetary incentives- conditional" (10.2%). Of the pilot and feasibility protocols, 40.2% included proactive "plans to promote participant retention" with the use of "combined strategies" being most frequent (46.3%). The use of "monetary incentives - conditional" (22%) was the most popular individual reported retention strategy. CONCLUSION There is a lack of reporting of plans to promote participant retention in trial protocols. Proactive planning of retention strategies during the trial design stage is preferable to the reactive implementation of retention strategies. Prospective retention planning and clear communication in protocols may inform more suitable choice, costing and implementation of retention strategies and improve transparency in trial conduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Murphy
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), Galway, Ireland.
- Trials Research and Methodologies Unit (TRAMS), Health Research Board Clinical Research Facility University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Katie Gillies
- Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Frances Shiely
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), Galway, Ireland
- Trials Research and Methodologies Unit (TRAMS), Health Research Board Clinical Research Facility University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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Lazzarini SG, Stella Yousif M, Bargeri S, Castellini G, Gianola S. Reasons for missing evidence in rehabilitation meta-analyses: a cross-sectional meta-research study. BMC Med Res Methodol 2023; 23:245. [PMID: 37865743 PMCID: PMC10590516 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-023-02064-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials are the best evidence for informing on intervention effectiveness. Their results, however, can be biased due to omitted evidence in the quantitative analyses. We aimed to assess the proportion of randomized controlled trials omitted from meta-analyses in the rehabilitation field and explore related reasons. METHODS This is a cross-sectional meta-research study. For each systematic review included in a published selected sample in the rehabilitation field, we identified an index meta-analysis on the primary outcome and the main comparison. We then looked at all the studies considered eligible for the chosen comparison in the systematic review and identified those trials that have been omitted (i.e., not included) from each index meta-analysis. Reasons for omission were collected based on an eight-reason classification. We used descriptive statistics to describe the proportion of omitted trials overall and according to each reason. RESULTS Starting from a cohort of 827 systematic reviews, 131 index meta-analyses comprising a total of 1761 eligible trials were selected. Only 16 index meta-analyses included all eligible studies while 15 omitted studies without providing references. From the remaining 100 index meta-analyses, 717 trials (40,7%) were omitted overall. Specific reasons for omission were: "unable to distinguish between selective reporting and inadequate planning" (39,3%, N = 282), "inadequate planning" (17%, N = 122), "justified to be not included" (15,1%, N = 108), "incomplete reporting" (8,4%, N = 60), "selective reporting" (3,3%, N = 24) and other situations (e.g., outcome present but no motivation for omission) (5,2%, N = 37). The 11,7% (N = 84) of omitted trials were not assessed due to non-English language or full text not available. CONCLUSIONS Almost half of the eligible trials were omitted from their index meta-analyses. Better reporting, protocol registration, definition and adoption of core outcome sets are needed to prevent omission of evidence in systematic reviews.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marzia Stella Yousif
- Department of Clinical Science and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Bargeri
- Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Greta Castellini
- Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Gianola
- Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
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Stoll M, Lindner S, Marquardt B, Salholz-Hillel M, DeVito NJ, Klemperer D, Lieb K. Completeness and consistency of primary outcome reporting in COVID-19 publications in the early pandemic phase: a descriptive study. BMC Med Res Methodol 2023; 23:173. [PMID: 37516878 PMCID: PMC10385884 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-023-01991-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic saw a steep increase in the number of rapidly published scientific studies, especially early in the pandemic. Some have suggested COVID-19 trial reporting is of lower quality than typical reports, but there is limited evidence for this in terms of primary outcome reporting. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of completely defined primary outcomes reported in registry entries, preprints, and journal articles, and to assess consistent primary outcome reporting between these sources. METHODS This is a descriptive study of a cohort of registered interventional clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, drawn from the DIssemination of REgistered COVID-19 Clinical Trials (DIRECCT) study dataset. The main outcomes are: 1) Prevalence of complete primary outcome reporting; 2) Prevalence of consistent primary outcome reporting between registry entry and preprint as well as registry entry and journal article pairs. RESULTS We analyzed 87 trials with 116 corresponding publications (87 registry entries, 53 preprints and 63 journal articles). All primary outcomes were completely defined in 47/87 (54%) registry entries, 31/53 (58%) preprints and 44/63 (70%) journal articles. All primary outcomes were consistently reported in 13/53 (25%) registry-preprint pairs and 27/63 (43%) registry-journal article pairs. No primary outcome was specified in 13/53 (25%) preprints and 8/63 (13%) journal articles. In this sample, complete primary outcome reporting occurred more frequently in trials with vs. without involvement of pharmaceutical companies (76% vs. 45%), and in RCTs vs. other study designs (68% vs. 49%). The same pattern was observed for consistent primary outcome reporting (with vs. without pharma: 56% vs. 12%, RCT vs. other: 43% vs. 22%). CONCLUSIONS In COVID-19 trials in the early phase of the pandemic, all primary outcomes were completely defined in 54%, 58%, and 70% of registry entries, preprints and journal articles, respectively. Only 25% of preprints and 43% of journal articles reported primary outcomes consistent with registry entries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Stoll
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz, Germany.
| | - Saskia Lindner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bernd Marquardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maia Salholz-Hillel
- QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicholas J DeVito
- Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David Klemperer
- Ostbayrische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Klaus Lieb
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz, Germany
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Littell JH, Gorman DM, Valentine JC, Pigott TD. PROTOCOL: Assessment of outcome reporting bias in studies included in Campbell systematic reviews. CAMPBELL SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2023; 19:e1332. [PMID: 37252374 PMCID: PMC10210598 DOI: 10.1002/cl2.1332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows: To identify methods used to assess the risk of outcome reporting bias (ORB) in studies included in recent Campbell systematic reviews of intervention effects. The review will answer the following questions: What proportion of recent Campbell reviews included assessment of ORB? How did recent reviews define levels of risk of ORB (what categories, labels, and definitions did they use)? To what extent and how did these reviews use study protocols as sources of data on ORB? To what extent and how did reviews document reasons for judgments about risk of ORB? To what extent and how did reviews assess the inter-rater reliability of ORB ratings? To what extent and how were issues of ORB considered in the review's abstract, plain language summary, and conclusions?
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia H. Littell
- Graduate School of Social Work and Social ResearchBryn Mawr CollegeBryn MawrPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Dennis M. Gorman
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and School of Public HealthTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Jeffrey C. Valentine
- Department Counseling and Human DevelopmentUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKentuckyUSA
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Alfailany DT, Hajeer MY, Darwich K. The transparency of reporting 'harms' encountered with the surgically assisted acceleration of orthodontic tooth movement in the published randomized controlled trials: a meta-epidemiological study. Prog Orthod 2023; 24:11. [PMID: 36941520 PMCID: PMC10027979 DOI: 10.1186/s40510-023-00457-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Surgical-assisted accelerated orthodontics (SAAO) has become very popular recently. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the extent to which researchers adhere to Item 19 (harms) of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) in the published studies in the field of SAAO. In addition, the study evaluated the possible association between harm reporting and the human development index (HDI) of the recruited research sample country, CiteScore-based quartile (CSBQ) of the publishing journal, invasiveness of the surgical intervention (ISI), and the type of orthodontic tooth movement (TOTM). Moreover, it aimed to summarize the different possible harms and complications that maybe encountered in the course of SAAO. MATERIALS AND METHODS Electronic searching of six databases was conducted for SAAO-related English RCTs published between January 2000 and April 2022. For the RCTs that did not report harms, information was sought by contacting the corresponding authors. Descriptive statistics of the evaluated variables were performed. The association between 'harm reporting' and the HDI of the research team, the BDRQ of the publication journal, the ISI, and the TOTM were investigated. Binary logistic regression was used, and the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) of the evaluated variables were obtained. Moreover, the risk of bias of the included RCTs was assessed using the RoB2 tool. RESULTS Among the 91 included RCTs, 54 RCTs (59.3%) did not adhere to reporting harm associated with the SAAO. The non-adherence was significantly associated with the ISI (OR 0.16; CI 0.03-0.73; p < 0.018) for invasive methods compared with minimally invasive ones). There was a significant positive correlation between harm reporting and both the CSBQ of the publishing journal and the HDI of the recruited research sample country (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively). On the contrary, a non-significant association was found between harm reporting and the type of OTM (p = 0.695). The incidence of harms associated with SAAO was approximately 17.5%. LIMITATIONS Assessment was restricted to English RCTs related to SAAO. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS The adherence to reporting harms in the field of SAAO was deficient. Efforts should be made by authors, peer reviewers, and editors to improve compliance with the CONSORT guidelines regarding harms reporting. Additionally, there is a wide spectrum of harms that could be associated with SAAO that the practitioner should pay attention to and alert the patient to the possibility of their occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Younis Hajeer
- Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria.
| | - Khaldoun Darwich
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria
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McNally EH, Rudd S, Mezes P, Black SA, Hinchliffe RJ, Ozdemir BA. A systematic review of reported outcomes in people with lower limb chronic venous insufficiency of the deep veins. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2023; 11:422-431.e8. [PMID: 37948540 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvsv.2022.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The prevalence of lower limb chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) of the deep veins is increasing and presents a significant burden to patients and health care services. To improve the evaluation of interventions it is necessary to standardise their reporting. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the outcomes of interventions delivered to people with CVI of the deep veins as part of the development of a novel core outcome set (COS). METHODS Following the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) framework for COS development, a systematic review was conducted to PRISMA guidance. The protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO (CRD42021236795). MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Clinicaltrials.gov were searched from January 2018 to January 2021. Clinical trials and observational studies involving more than 20 participants, reporting outcomes for patients with CVI of the deep veins were eligible. Outcomes were extracted verbatim, condensed into agreed outcome terms and coded into domains using standard COMET taxonomy. Outcome reporting consistency, where outcomes were fully reported throughout the methods and results of their respective articles was also assessed. RESULTS Some 103 studies were eligible. There were 1183 verbatim outcomes extracted, spanning 22 domains. No outcome was reported unanimously, with the most widely reported outcome of primary patency featuring in 51 articles (<50%). There was a predominant focus on reporting clinical outcomes (n = 963 [81%]), with treatment durability (n = 278 [23%]) and clinical severity (n = 108 [9%]) reported frequently. Life impact outcomes were relatively under-reported (n = 60 [5%]). Outcome reporting consistency was poor, with just 50% of outcomes reported fully. CONCLUSIONS Outcome reporting in studies of people with CVI of the deep veins is currently heterogeneous. Life impact outcomes, which likely reflect patients' priorities are under-reported. This study provides the first step in the development of a COS for people with lower limb CVI of the deep veins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor H McNally
- Bristol Centre for Surgical Research, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Stephen A Black
- Cardiovascular Division, Academic Department of Vascular Surgery, St Thomas' Hospital and King's College London, London, UK
| | - Robert J Hinchliffe
- Bristol Centre for Surgical Research, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK
| | - Baris A Ozdemir
- Bristol Centre for Surgical Research, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
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Coskinas X, Simes RJ, Martin AJ. Changes to design and analysis elements of research plans during randomised controlled trials in Australia. Med J Aust 2022; 217:526-531. [PMID: 36089816 PMCID: PMC9826265 DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the frequency and legitimacy of substantive changes to the research plans of published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) undertaken in Australia. DESIGN Comparison of methodology and analysis plans for RCTs specified in protocol documents (full protocols, published protocol articles, statistical analysis plans, Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry [ANZCTR] registration entries) and described in publications of primary results. SETTING, PARTICIPANTS 181 RCTs registered with the ANZCTR, 1 September 2007 - 31 December 2013, for which primary results had been published. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Changes made to research plan, both overall and by specific item (primary outcome, analysis set, eligibility criteria, sample size, primary analysis method, and treatment arms included in the primary comparison in multi-arm trials); trial characteristics associated with changes. RESULTS Protocol documents were available for 124 of 181 eligible RCTs (69%; 46 publicly available, 78 provided by trial groups on request). Full audit of RCTs with protocols found clear or probable changes in 111 trials (90%), for 101 of which (91%) it was unclear whether changes had been made blinded to treatment outcomes. After seeking clarification from investigators, changes to 78 trials were confirmed (63%), for 61 of which (78%) changes were made blinded to treatment outcomes. Any change was less likely for trials with publicly available protocols than for trials for which we needed to request protocols (odds ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.77). Limited reviews of trials without protocols identified that changes had been made to 42 of 57 trials (74%). CONCLUSION Changes to RCT study plans in Australia are both frequent and usually made appropriately blinded to treatment outcomes. However, the documentation of changes made to RCT protocols should be formalised to improve transparency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xanthi Coskinas
- NHMRC Clinical Trials Centrethe University of SydneySydneyNSW
| | - R John Simes
- NHMRC Clinical Trials Centrethe University of SydneySydneyNSW
| | - Andrew J Martin
- NHMRC Clinical Trials Centrethe University of SydneySydneyNSW
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10
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Outcome reporting bias in nephrology randomized clinical trials: Examining outcomes represented by graphical illustrations. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2022; 28:100924. [PMID: 35664503 PMCID: PMC9160318 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.100924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Speich B, Odutayo A, Peckham N, Ooms A, Stokes JR, Saccilotto R, Gryaznov D, von Niederhäusern B, Copsey B, Altman DG, Briel M, Hopewell S. A longitudinal assessment of trial protocols approved by research ethics committees: The Adherance to SPIrit REcommendations in the UK (ASPIRE-UK) study. Trials 2022; 23:601. [PMID: 35897110 PMCID: PMC9327179 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06516-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To assess the quality of reporting of RCT protocols approved by UK research ethics committees before and after the publication of the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guideline. Methods We had access to RCT study protocols that received ethical approval in the UK in 2012 (n=103) and 2016 (n=108). From those, we assessed the adherence to the 33 SPIRIT items (i.e. a total of 64 components of the 33 SPIRIT items). We descriptively analysed the adherence to SPIRIT guidelines as proportion of adequately reported items (median and interquartile range [IQR]) and stratified the results by year of approval and sponsor. Results The proportion of reported SPIRIT items increased from a median of 64.9% (IQR, 57.6–69.2%) in 2012 to a median of 72.5% (IQR, 65.3–78.3%) in 2016. Industry-sponsored RCTs reported more SPIRIT items in 2012 (median 67.4%; IQR, 64.1–69.4%) compared to non-industry-sponsored trials (median 59.8%; IQR, 46.5–67.7%). This gap between industry- and non-industry-sponsored trials increased in 2016 (industry-sponsored: median 75.6%; IQR, 71.2–79.0% vs non-industry-sponsored: median 65.3%; IQR, 51.6–76.3%). Conclusions The adherence to SPIRIT guidelines has improved in the UK from 2012 to 2016 but remains on a modest level, especially for non-industry-sponsored RCTs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06516-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Speich
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Meta-Research Centre, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Ayodele Odutayo
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicholas Peckham
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexander Ooms
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jamie R Stokes
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ramon Saccilotto
- Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dmitry Gryaznov
- Meta-Research Centre, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Belinda von Niederhäusern
- Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Roche Pharma AG, Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany
| | - Bethan Copsey
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Douglas G Altman
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthias Briel
- Meta-Research Centre, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Sally Hopewell
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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12
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Gryaznov D, von Niederhäusern B, Speich B, Kasenda B, Ojeda-Ruiz E, Blümle A, Schandelmaier S, Mertz D, Odutayo A, Tomonaga Y, Amstutz A, Pauli-Magnus C, Gloy V, Lohner S, Bischoff K, Wollmann K, Rehner L, Meerpohl JJ, Nordmann A, Klatte K, Ghosh N, Taji Heravi A, Wong J, Chow N, Hong P, McCord-De Iaco KA, Sricharoenchai S, Busse JW, Agarwal A, Saccilotto R, Schwenkglenks M, Moffa G, Hemkens L, Hopewell S, Von Elm E, Briel M. Reporting quality of clinical trial protocols: a repeated cross-sectional study about the Adherence to SPIrit Recommendations in Switzerland, CAnada and GErmany (ASPIRE-SCAGE). BMJ Open 2022; 12:e053417. [PMID: 35613804 PMCID: PMC9125701 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Comprehensive protocols are key for the planning and conduct of randomised clinical trials (RCTs). Evidence of low reporting quality of RCT protocols led to the publication of the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist in 2013. We aimed to examine the quality of reporting of RCT protocols from three countries before and after the publication of the SPIRIT checklist. DESIGN Repeated cross sectional study. SETTING Swiss, German and Canadian research ethics committees (RECs). PARTICIPANTS RCT protocols approved by RECs in 2012 (n=257) and 2016 (n=292). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcomes were the proportion of reported SPIRIT items per protocol and the proportion of trial protocols reporting individual SPIRIT items. We compared these outcomes in protocols approved in 2012 and 2016, and built regression models to explore factors associated with adherence to SPIRIT. For each protocol, we also extracted information on general trial characteristics and assessed whether individual SPIRIT items were reported RESULTS: The median proportion of reported SPIRIT items among RCT protocols showed a non-significant increase from 72% (IQR, 63%-79%) in 2012 to 77% (IQR, 68%-82%) in 2016. However, in a preplanned subgroup analysis, we detected a significant improvement in investigator-sponsored protocols: the median proportion increased from 64% (IQR, 55%-72%) in 2012 to 76% (IQR, 64%-83%) in 2016, while for industry-sponsored protocols median adherence was 77% (IQR 72%-80%) for both years. The following trial characteristics were independently associated with lower adherence to SPIRIT: single-centre trial, no support from a clinical trials unit or contract research organisation, and investigator-sponsorship. CONCLUSIONS In 2012, industry-sponsored RCT protocols were reported more comprehensively than investigator-sponsored protocols. After publication of the SPIRIT checklist, investigator-sponsored protocols improved to the level of industry-sponsored protocols, which did not improve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Gryaznov
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Belinda von Niederhäusern
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Roche Pharma AG, Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Speich
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Benjamin Kasenda
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Ojeda-Ruiz
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Preventive Medicine Department, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba University Hospital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, Spain
| | - Anette Blümle
- Clinical Trials Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Schandelmaier
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dominik Mertz
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ayodele Odutayo
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yuki Tomonaga
- Epidemiology, Biostatistic und Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alain Amstutz
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Clinical Research Unit, Schweizerisches Tropen- und Public Health-Institut, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christiane Pauli-Magnus
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Viktoria Gloy
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Szimonetta Lohner
- Cochrane Hungary, Clinical Centre of the University of Pécs, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Karin Bischoff
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Wollmann
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laura Rehner
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Nursing Science and Interprofessional Learning, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Joerg J Meerpohl
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alain Nordmann
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Klatte
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nilabh Ghosh
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ala Taji Heravi
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jacqueline Wong
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ngai Chow
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Patrick Hong
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kimberly A McCord-De Iaco
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sirintip Sricharoenchai
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jason W Busse
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arnav Agarwal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ramon Saccilotto
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schwenkglenks
- Epidemiology, Biostatistic und Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Medicine (ECPM), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Giusi Moffa
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lars Hemkens
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Meta-Research Innovation Center Berlin (METRICS-B), Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Meta-Research Innovation Center Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sally Hopewell
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Erik Von Elm
- Cochrane Switzerland, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Briel
- Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Vrljičak Davidović N, Komić L, Mešin I, Kotarac M, Okmažić D, Franić T. Registry versus publication: discrepancy of primary outcomes and possible outcome reporting bias in child and adolescent mental health. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 31:757-769. [PMID: 33459886 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01710-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Outcome reporting bias is one of the fundamental forms of publication bias. It implies publishing only outcomes that have positive results. The aim of this observational study was to explore primary outcome discrepancies between registry of clinical trials and their corresponding publications, since these can indicate outcome reporting bias in child mental health. Data were extracted from completed interventional clinical trials from ClinicalTrial.gov registry and its Archive site. Trials were registered under "Behaviours and Mental Disorders" category, and conducted on underage participants (0-17 years). Their primary outcomes were compared to those published in publication which had a corresponding NCT number stated in the text. Sixteen percent of trials did not have the minimum information on primary outcome stated in the registry-neither the measure used nor the measurement time points; 38.9% of trials had the minimum information stated to describe primary outcome, while only 3.3% of trials had all the necessary elements stated in the registry. Most of the publication in our sample had positive results (66.4%). Half of the trials registered before completion had non-matching primary outcomes in the registry and publication; 85.4% of trials with non-matching outcomes indicated possible outcome reporting bias for some of the primary outcome. Middle-sized trials and industry-funded trials were related with higher quality of primary outcome registration. Industry funding was related with positive findings in publication. Non-industry funding proved to be the only significant predictor of discrepancy between registered and published primary outcomes, and possible outcome reporting bias. Journal impact factor was not related with any of the outcome measures. The main limitation of the study is that it primarily offers an insight into discrepancy of registered and published outcomes. The methodology does not imply an access to results of unpublished outcomes - therefore, it was not possible to determine the presence of the bias with sufficient certainty in large number of trials. Further research should be done with improved methodology and additional data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luka Komić
- School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Ivana Mešin
- School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Mihaela Kotarac
- School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Donald Okmažić
- School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia
| | - Tomislav Franić
- School of Medicine, University of Split, Šoltanska 2, 21000, Split, Croatia.,Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000, Split, Croatia
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14
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Satalkar P, McLennan S, Elger BS, von Elm E, Matthias B. Investigators' sense of failure thwarted transparency in clinical trials discontinued for poor recruitment. J Clin Epidemiol 2022; 145:136-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2022.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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15
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van Beurden I, van de Beek MJ, van Heteren JAA, Smit AL, Stegeman I. Selective Reporting of Outcomes in Tinnitus Trials: Comparison of Trial Registries With Corresponding Publications. Front Neurol 2021; 12:669501. [PMID: 34177776 PMCID: PMC8222810 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.669501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: We aimed to study the prevalence of selective reporting of primary and secondary outcomes in tinnitus trials and to examine if selective reporting of outcome measures is influenced by the nature and direction of its results. Background: Selective reporting of outcome measures has been reported in several biomedical fields and can influence the clinical usefulness and implementation of outcomes of clinical trials. It is reported as one of the obstacles in finding an effective intervention for tinnitus. Methods: ClinicalTrials.gov (CT.gov) was used to identify all registered interventional tinnitus trials up to December 2015. A standardized search was used to find corresponding publications up to March 2018. The prespecified outcomes in CT.gov were compared with the outcomes reported in corresponding publication(s). The effects of the (lack of) statistical significance of trial results and the effects of funding source on record adherence were evaluated. Changes in registration elements were assessed with the Archive site of CT.gov. Results: We found corresponding publications for 60 (64.5%) of 93 eligible tinnitus trials registered in CT.gov. Of all the publications, five (7.5%) fully reported outcome measures entirely in line with the prespecified outcome measures. Discrepancies between the prespecified and reported outcomes were found in a total of 51 (76.1%) of the studies for primary outcomes, whereas 62 (92.5%) of the studies had discrepancies in secondary outcomes. In secondary outcomes, statistical significance of trial results influenced CT.gov record adherence. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in the rate of discrepancy in industry-funded [n = 98 (87.5%) discrepant outcomes] and non-industry funded trials [n = 172 (74.5%) discrepant outcomes] (p = 0.01). Finally, 15 (25.9%) trialists made modifications in registered outcome measures during or after the trial period. Conclusion: Tinnitus trials suffer from substantial outcome reporting bias. Awareness of its presence must be raised to limit the obstacles of finding an effective intervention for tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabeau van Beurden
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Megan J van de Beek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jan A A van Heteren
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Adriana L Smit
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Inge Stegeman
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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16
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Salandra R, Criscuolo P, Salter A. Directing scientists away from potentially biased publications: the role of systematic reviews in health care. RESEARCH POLICY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2020.104130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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17
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Gryaznov D, Odutayo A, von Niederhäusern B, Speich B, Kasenda B, Ojeda-Ruiz E, Blümle A, Schandelmaier S, Mertz D, Tomonaga Y, Amstutz A, Pauli-Magnus C, Gloy V, Bischoff K, Wollmann K, Rehner L, Lohner S, Meerpohl JJ, Nordmann A, Klatte K, Ghosh N, Heravi AT, Wong J, Chow N, Hong PJ, Cord KM, Sricharoenchai S, Busse JW, Agarwal A, Saccilotto R, Schwenkglenks M, Moffa G, Hemkens LG, Hopewell S, von Elm E, Briel M. Rationale and design of repeated cross-sectional studies to evaluate the reporting quality of trial protocols: the Adherence to SPIrit REcommendations (ASPIRE) study and associated projects. Trials 2020; 21:896. [PMID: 33115541 PMCID: PMC7594472 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-04808-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clearly structured and comprehensive protocols are an essential component to ensure safety of participants, data validity, successful conduct, and credibility of results of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Funding agencies, research ethics committees (RECs), regulatory agencies, medical journals, systematic reviewers, and other stakeholders rely on protocols to appraise the conduct and reporting of RCTs. In response to evidence of poor protocol quality, the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guideline was published in 2013 to improve the accuracy and completeness of clinical trial protocols. The impact of these recommendations on protocol completeness and associations between protocol completeness and successful RCT conduct and publication remain uncertain. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS Aims of the Adherence to SPIrit REcommendations (ASPIRE) study are to investigate adherence to SPIRIT checklist items of RCT protocols approved by RECs in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and Canada before (2012) and after (2016) the publication of the SPIRIT guidelines; determine protocol features associated with non-adherence to SPIRIT checklist items; and assess potential differences in adherence across countries. We assembled an international cohort of RCTs based on 450 protocols approved in 2012 and 402 protocols approved in 2016 by RECs in Switzerland, the UK, Germany, and Canada. We will extract data on RCT characteristics and adherence to SPIRIT for all included protocols. We will use multivariable regression models to investigate temporal changes in SPIRIT adherence, differences across countries, and associations between SPIRIT adherence of protocols with RCT registration, completion, and publication of results. We plan substudies to examine the registration, premature discontinuation, and non-publication of RCTs; the use of patient-reported outcomes in RCT protocols; SPIRIT adherence of RCT protocols with non-regulated interventions; the planning of RCT subgroup analyses; and the use of routinely collected data for RCTs. DISCUSSION The ASPIRE study and associated substudies will provide important information on the impact of measures to improve the reporting of RCT protocols and on multiple aspects of RCT design, trial registration, premature discontinuation, and non-publication of RCTs observing potential changes over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Gryaznov
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ayodele Odutayo
- Applied Health Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Instiute of St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit and Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Belinda von Niederhäusern
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Roche Pharma AG, Grenzach-Wyhlen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Speich
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit and Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Benjamin Kasenda
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- iOMEDICO AG, Research & Development, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Elena Ojeda-Ruiz
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Preventive Medicine Department, Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Health Prevention, Promotion and Care Area, Araba University Hospital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Anette Blümle
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Schandelmaier
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Dominik Mertz
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Yuki Tomonaga
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alain Amstutz
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christiane Pauli-Magnus
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Viktoria Gloy
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Karin Bischoff
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Wollmann
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laura Rehner
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Szimonetta Lohner
- Cochrane Hungary, Clinical Centre of the University of Pécs, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Joerg J. Meerpohl
- Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alain Nordmann
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Klatte
- Department of Clinical Research, Clinical Trial Unit, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nilabh Ghosh
- Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ala Taji Heravi
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jacqueline Wong
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Ngai Chow
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Patrick Jiho Hong
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kimberly Mc Cord
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sirintip Sricharoenchai
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jason W. Busse
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Arnav Agarwal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Ramon Saccilotto
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schwenkglenks
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Medicine (ECPM), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Giusi Moffa
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lars G. Hemkens
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sally Hopewell
- Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit and Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Erik von Elm
- Cochrane Switzerland, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Briel
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 12, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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Østengaard L, Lundh A, Tjørnhøj-Thomsen T, Abdi S, Gelle MHA, Stewart LA, Boutron I, Hróbjartsson A. Influence and management of conflicts of interest in randomised clinical trials: qualitative interview study. BMJ 2020; 371:m3764. [PMID: 33109515 PMCID: PMC7590918 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m3764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterise and analyse the experiences of trial researchers of if and how conflicts of interest had unduly influenced clinical trials they had worked on, what management strategies they had used to minimise any potential influence, and their experiences and views on conflicts of interest more generally. DESIGN Qualitative interview study. PARTICIPANTS Trial researchers who had participated in at least 10 clinical trials with methodological or statistical expertise. Researchers differed by geographical location, educational background, and experience with different types of funders. Interviewees were identified by searches on Web of Science and snowball sampling. 52 trial researchers were approached by email; 20 agreed to be interviewed. SETTING Interviews conducted by telephone, recorded, transcribed verbatim, imported to NVivo 12, and analysed by systematic text condensation. Semistructured interviews focused on financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. RESULTS The interviewees had participated in a median of 37.5 trials and were mainly male physicians who had experience with commercial and non-commercial trial funders. Two predefined themes (influence of conflicts of interest and management strategies) and two additional themes (definition and reporting of conflicts of interest) emerged. Examples of perceived influence of conflicts of interest were: choice of inferior comparator, manipulation of the randomisation process, prematurely stopping the trials, fabrication of data, blocking access to data, and spin (eg, overly favourable interpretation of the results). Examples of strategies to manage conflicts of interest were: disclosure procedures, exclusion of the funder from design and analysis, independent committees, contracts ensuring complete access to the data, and no restriction by the funder on analysis and reporting. Interviewees used different definitions or thresholds for what they considered to be conflicts of interest, and they described different criteria for when to report them. Some interviewees considered non-commercial financial conflicts of interest (eg, funding of trials by governmental health agencies with a political agenda) to be equally or more important than commercial financial conflicts of interest (eg, funding by drug and device companies), but more challenging to report and manage. CONCLUSION This study described how trial researchers perceive conflicts of interest unduly influencing clinical trials they had worked on, and the management strategies they used to prevent these influences. The results indicated considerable variability in researchers' understanding of what conflicts of interest are and when they should be reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasse Østengaard
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 10, 13th floor, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
- Open Patient data Exploratory Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- University Library of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Andreas Lundh
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 10, 13th floor, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
- Open Patient data Exploratory Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Suhayb Abdi
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 10, 13th floor, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Mustafe H A Gelle
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 10, 13th floor, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Lesley A Stewart
- Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK
| | - Isabelle Boutron
- Université de Paris, CRESS, Inserm, INRA, F-75004, Paris, France
| | - Asbjørn Hróbjartsson
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 10, 13th floor, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
- Open Patient data Exploratory Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Marks-Anglin A, Chen Y. A historical review of publication bias. Res Synth Methods 2020; 11:725-742. [PMID: 32893970 DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.1452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Publication bias is a well-known threat to the validity of meta-analyses and, more broadly, the reproducibility of scientific findings. When policies and recommendations are predicated on an incomplete evidence base, it undermines the goals of evidence-based decision-making. Great strides have been made in the last 50 years to understand and address this problem, including calls for mandatory trial registration and the development of statistical methods to detect and correct for publication bias. We offer an historical account of seminal contributions by the evidence synthesis community, with an emphasis on the parallel development of graph-based and selection model approaches. We also draw attention to current innovations and opportunities for future methodological work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Marks-Anglin
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yong Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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20
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Dal-Ré R. Changes in ongoing clinical trial protocol designs behind the scenes. Eur J Intern Med 2020; 78:32-33. [PMID: 32439288 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2020.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Dal-Ré
- Epidemiology Unit, Health Research Institute-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Avda Reyes Católicos 2, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
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21
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Tao W, Tao X, Wang Y, Bi S. Psycho‐social and educational interventions for enhancing adherence to dialysis in adults with end‐stage renal disease: A meta‐analysis. J Clin Nurs 2020; 29:2834-2848. [PMID: 32320513 DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei‐Wei Tao
- College of Nursing Dalian Medical University Dalian People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao‐Mei Tao
- Shijitan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University Beijing China
| | - Yue Wang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian China
| | - Shu‐Hong Bi
- Department of Nephrology Peking University Third Hospital Beijing China
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22
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Nelli L, Guelbeogo M, Ferguson HM, Ouattara D, Tiono A, N'Fale S, Matthiopoulos J. Distance sampling for epidemiology: an interactive tool for estimating under-reporting of cases from clinic data. Int J Health Geogr 2020; 19:16. [PMID: 32312266 PMCID: PMC7171748 DOI: 10.1186/s12942-020-00209-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Distance sampling methods are widely used in ecology to estimate and map the abundance of animal and plant populations from spatial survey data. The key underlying concept in distance sampling is the detection function, the probability of detecting the occurrence of an event as a function of its distance from the observer, as well as other covariates that may influence detection. In epidemiology, the burden and distribution of infectious disease is often inferred from cases that are reported at clinics and hospitals. In areas with few public health facilities and low accessibility, the probability of detecting a case is also a function of the distance between an infected person and the "observer" (e.g. a health centre). While the problem of distance-related under-reporting is acknowledged in public health; there are few quantitative methods for assessing and correcting for this bias when mapping disease incidence. Here, we develop a modified version of distance sampling for prediction of infectious disease incidence by relaxing some of the framework's fundamental assumptions. We illustrate the utility of this approach using as our example malaria distribution in rural Burkina Faso, where there is a large population at risk but relatively low accessibility of health facilities. RESULTS The modified distance-sampling framework was used to predict the probability of reporting malaria infection at 8 rural clinics, based on road-travel distances from villages. The rate at which reporting probability dropped with distance varied between clinics, depending on road and clinic positions. The probability of case detection was estimated as 0.3-1 in the immediate vicinity of the clinic, dropping to 0.1-0.6 at a travel distance of 10 km, and effectively zero at distances > 30-40 km. CONCLUSIONS To enhance the method's strategic impact, we provide an interactive mapping tool (as a self-contained R Shiny app) that can be used by non-specialists to interrogate model outputs and visualize how the overall probability of under-reporting and the catchment area of each clinic is influenced by changing the number and spatial allocation of health centres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Nelli
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Moussa Guelbeogo
- Centre National De Recherche et Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Heather M Ferguson
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, UK
| | - Daouda Ouattara
- Centre National De Recherche et Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Alfred Tiono
- Centre National De Recherche et Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Sagnon N'Fale
- Centre National De Recherche et Formation sur le Paludisme, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Jason Matthiopoulos
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, UK
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23
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St Germain D, Denicoff A, Torres A, Kelaghan J, McCaskill-Stevens W, Mishkin G, O'Mara A, Minasian LM. Reporting of health-related quality of life endpoints in National Cancer Institute-supported cancer treatment trials. Cancer 2020; 126:2687-2693. [PMID: 32237256 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.32765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The importance of capturing and reporting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in clinical trials has been increasingly recognized in the oncology field. As a result, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began to provide support for correlative HRQOL studies in cancer treatment trials. The current study was conducted to assess the publication rate of HRQOL correlative studies in NCI-supported treatment trials and to identify potential factors positively or negatively associated with publication rates. METHODS The NCI conducted a retrospective review of existing NCI databases to identify cancer treatment trials that had obtained additional NCI funding for the assessment of HRQOL and to determine the extent to which funded HRQOL studies have been completed and published in a peer-reviewed journal. RESULTS Of the 108 included trials, 58 (54%) had a parent trial (PT) publication; of these, 36 trials (62%) had a published HRQOL result: 20 as an independent publication and 16 that were included and/or reported in the PT publication. The length of time between trial activation and closure, as well as the specific cancer, appeared to be associated with the publication rates. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study demonstrated that approximately 45% of the PT publications were followed by a HRQOL publication within 1 year, to allow the knowledge to be used in patient treatment decision making. The authors believe the current analysis is an important first step toward a better understand of the challenges that researchers face when reporting HRQOL endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane St Germain
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Andrea Denicoff
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Andrea Torres
- Health, Environment, Analytics, Resilience & Social Group, ICF, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Joseph Kelaghan
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Grace Mishkin
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ann O'Mara
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Lori M Minasian
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
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24
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Taswell C, Donohue C, Mastwyk MT, Louey AG, Giummarra J, Robertson J, Darby DG, Masters CL, Rowe CC. Avoiding methodological bias in studies of amyloid imaging results disclosure. Alzheimers Res Ther 2019; 11:52. [PMID: 31159862 PMCID: PMC6547470 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-019-0495-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Oikonomidi T, Vivot A, Tran VT, Riveros C, Robin E, Ravaud P. A Methodologic Systematic Review of Mobile Health Behavior Change Randomized Trials. Am J Prev Med 2019; 57:836-843. [PMID: 31753266 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Mobile health helps providers offer accessible, affordable, tailored behavior change interventions. However, research assessing mobile health interventions may feature methodologic shortcomings and poor reporting. This review aims to summarize the characteristics, methods, and intervention reporting of RCTs evaluating mobile health behavior change interventions. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION This was a methodologic systematic review of RCTs assessing mobile health behavior change interventions published in PubMed from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2018, in journals with the upper half of Impact Factors (Clarivate Analytics). Three reviewers independently extracted sample characteristics. Primary outcomes were classified as patient-important or not using definitions from the literature. Any non-patient-important outcomes were then reclassified by a panel of 3 patients. Intervention reporting was assessed by the mobile health Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist. Data were analyzed in December 2018. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Most of the 231 included RCTs assessed text messaging (51%) or smartphone app (28%) interventions aiming to change nutrition and physical activity (36%) or treatment adherence (25%). Only 8% of RCTs had a patient-important primary outcome, follow-up of ≥6 months, and intent-to-treat analysis. Most primary outcomes were behavioral measures (60%). Follow-up was <3 months in 29% of RCTs. Regarding reporting, 12 of the 16 checklist items were reported in less than half of RCTs (e.g., usability/content testing, 32%; data security, 13%). CONCLUSIONS Reports of RCTs assessing mobile health behavior change interventions lack information that would be useful for providers, including reporting of long-term intervention impact on patient-important primary outcomes and information needed for intervention replicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Oikonomidi
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Université de Paris, CRESS, INSERM, INRA, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Vivot
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Université de Paris, CRESS, INSERM, INRA, Paris, France.
| | - Viet-Thi Tran
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Université de Paris, CRESS, INSERM, INRA, Paris, France
| | - Carolina Riveros
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | - Philippe Ravaud
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Université de Paris, CRESS, INSERM, INRA, Paris, France; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
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26
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Sendyk DI, Rovai ES, Souza NV, Deboni MCZ, Pannuti CM. Selective outcome reporting in randomized clinical trials of dental implants. J Clin Periodontol 2019; 46:758-765. [PMID: 31077411 DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM Selective outcome reporting (SOR) is a type of bias that occurs when the primary outcome of a trial protocol is changed or omitted in the paper. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SOR in publications of randomized clinical trials (RCT) concerning dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two reviewers independently screened protocols registered at ClinicalTrials.gov until February/2019. If the protocol met the eligibility criteria, the reviewers tried to identify the corresponding publication. Data extraction was carried out by the same reviewers. Primary and secondary outcomes were recorded for each trial and compared to outcomes previously described in protocols. RESULTS A total of 49 protocols were included. SOR was identified in 27 (55.1%) trials. The major discrepancies were as follows: protocol-defined primary outcome omitted in the publication (n = 6, 12.2%), new primary outcome introduced (n = 8, 16.3%), discrepancy in the primary outcome time frame (n = 17, 34.7%) and new secondary outcome introduced (n = 31, 63.3%). SOR was significantly associated with industry funding (p = 0.04) and timing of registration (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate a high rate of SOR in dental implants clinical trials. Use of registry data during the peer-review process may help decreasing SOR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Isaac Sendyk
- Discipline of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Emanuel Silva Rovai
- Discipline of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nathalia Vilela Souza
- Discipline of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Claudio Mendes Pannuti
- Discipline of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Nelli L, Ferguson HM, Matthiopoulos J. Achieving explanatory depth and spatial breadth in infectious disease modelling: Integrating active and passive case surveillance. Stat Methods Med Res 2019; 29:1273-1287. [PMID: 31213191 DOI: 10.1177/0962280219856380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Ideally, the data used for robust spatial prediction of disease distribution should be both high-resolution and spatially expansive. However, such in-depth and geographically broad data are rarely available in practice. Instead, researchers usually acquire either detailed epidemiological data with high resolution at a small number of active sampling sites, or more broad-ranging but less precise data from passive case surveillance. We propose a novel inferential framework, capable of simultaneously drawing insights from both passive and active data types. We developed a Bayesian latent point process approach, combining active data collection in a limited set of points, where in-depth covariates are measured, with passive case detection, where error-prone, large-scale disease data are accompanied only by coarse or remotely-sensed covariate layers. Using the example of malaria, we tested our method's efficiency under several hypothetical scenarios of reported incidence in different combinations of imperfect detection and spatial complexity of the environmental variables. We provide a simple solution to a widespread problem in spatial epidemiology, combining latent process modelling and spatially autoregressive modelling. By using active sampling and passive case detection in a complementary way, we achieved the best-of-both-worlds, in effect, a formal calibration of spatially extensive, error-prone data by localised, high-quality data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Nelli
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Heather M Ferguson
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jason Matthiopoulos
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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28
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Nguyen HQ, Tunney MM, Hughes CM. Interventions to Improve Antimicrobial Stewardship for Older People in Care Homes: A Systematic Review. Drugs Aging 2019; 36:355-369. [PMID: 30675682 DOI: 10.1007/s40266-019-00637-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing has been reported in care homes. This may result in serious drug-related adverse events, Clostridium difficile colonization, and the development of antimicrobial resistance among care home residents. Interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing in nursing homes have been reported through clinical trials, but whether antifungal and antiviral prescribing and residential homes have been considered, or how outcomes were measured and reported in such interventions, remains unclear. OBJECTIVES Our aims were to evaluate the effect of interventions to improve antimicrobial stewardship in care homes and to report the outcomes used in these trials. METHODS We searched 11 electronic databases and five trial registries for studies published until 30 November 2018. Inclusion criteria for the review were randomized controlled trials, targeting care home residents and healthcare professionals, providing interventions to improve antimicrobial prescribing compared with usual care or other interventions. The Cochrane tools for assessing risk of bias were used for quality assessment. A narrative approach was taken because of heterogeneity across the studies. RESULTS Five studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies varied in terms of types of infection, key targets, delivery of interventions, and reported outcomes. In total, 27 outcomes were reported across the studies, with seven not prespecified in the methods. The interventions had little impact on adherence to guidelines and prevalence of antimicrobial prescribing; they appeared to decrease total antimicrobial consumption but were unlikely to have affected overall hospital admissions and mortality. The overall quality of evidence was low because the risk of bias was high across the studies. CONCLUSION The interventions had limited effect on improving antimicrobial prescribing but did not appear to cause harm to care home residents. The low quality of evidence and heterogeneity in outcome measurement suggest the need for future well-designed studies and the development of a core outcome set to best evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship in care homes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoa Q Nguyen
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Michael M Tunney
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Carmel M Hughes
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Jones CW, Adams A, Weaver MA, Schroter S, Misemer BS, Schriger D, Platts-Mills TF. Peer reviewed evaluation of registered end-points of randomised trials (the PRE-REPORT study): protocol for a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e028694. [PMID: 31154313 PMCID: PMC6549750 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Clinical trials are critical to the advancement of medical knowledge. However, the reliability of trial conclusions depends in part on consistency between pre-planned and reported study outcomes. Unfortunately, selective outcome reporting, in which outcomes reported in published manuscripts differ from pre-specified study outcomes, is common. Trial registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov have the potential to help identify and stop selective outcome reporting during peer review by allowing peer reviewers to compare outcomes between registry entries and submitted manuscripts. However, the persistently high rate of selective outcome reporting among published clinical trials indicates that the current peer review process at most journals does not effectively address the problem of selective outcome reporting. METHODS AND ANALYSIS PRE-REPORT is a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial that will test whether providing peer reviewers with a summary of registered, pre-specified primary trial outcomes decreases inconsistencies between prospectively registered and published primary outcomes. Peer reviewed manuscripts describing clinical trial results will be included. Eligible manuscripts submitted to each participating journal during the study period will comprise each cluster. After an initial control phase, journals will transition to the intervention phase in random order, after which peer reviewers will be emailed registry information consisting of the date of registration and any prospectively defined primary outcomes. Blinded outcome assessors will compare registered and published primary outcomes for all included trials. The primary PRE-REPORT outcome is the presence of a published primary outcome that is consistent with a prospectively defined primary outcome in the study's trial registry. The primary outcome will be analysed using a mixed effect logistical regression model to compare results between the intervention and control phases. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The Cooper Health System Institutional Review Board determined that this study does not meet criteria for human subject research. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ISRCTN41225307; Pre-results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Jones
- Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA
| | - Amanda Adams
- Medical Library, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mark A Weaver
- Mathematics and Statistics, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - David Schriger
- Emergency Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Azar M, Riehm KE, Saadat N, Sanchez T, Chiovitti M, Qi L, Rice DB, Levis B, Fedoruk C, Levis AW, Kloda LA, Kimmelman J, Benedetti A, Thombs BD. Evaluation of Journal Registration Policies and Prospective Registration of Randomized Clinical Trials of Nonregulated Health Care Interventions. JAMA Intern Med 2019; 179:624-632. [PMID: 30855655 PMCID: PMC6503638 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.8009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Many interventions that are important to the health care of patients are not subject to regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or comparable regulatory bodies in other nations. OBJECTIVE To determine whether specialty journals that publish trials of primarily nonregulated health care interventions require prospective registration and whether the prospective registration policies are associated with the publication of prospectively registered trials, trials with adequately registered outcomes, and trials with primary outcomes consistent with the registered primary outcomes. DESIGN AND METHODS PubMed was searched daily, from March 18, 2016, to September 17, 2016, for nonregulated intervention randomized clinical trials. The search included all journals in the Clarivate Analytics Science Citation Index Expanded categories of behavioral sciences, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, psychology, rehabilitation, and surgery. Trials of interventions not subject to FDA regulation were included. One investigator extracted journal registration policy and trial registration status. Two investigators independently extracted trial registration and publication characteristics. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES For journals, the main outcome was the trial registration policy. For trials, the main outcomes were prospective registration, adequacy of outcome registration, and concordance of registered with published primary outcomes. RESULTS In total, 953 nonregulated intervention trials published in 254 journals were identified. Prospective registration was required for publication by 29 (11.4%) of 254 journals, and an additional 12 journals (4.7%) had conditional date-based requirements. Only 189 (19.8%) of the 953 trials were registered prospectively, including 33 of 98 published in journals with prospective registration policies as compared with 156 of 855 in journals without policies (33.7% vs 18.2%; P = .004). Among the 17 journals that required prospective registration and had at least 2 included trials, none had a prospective registration of more than 50%. In journals with policies, only 3 of 98 trials included primary outcomes consistent with prospectively, adequately registered outcomes, as compared with 34 of 852 trials in journals without policies (3.1% vs 4.0%; P = .62). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Few journals in behavioral sciences or psychology, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, rehabilitation, and surgery require prospective trial registration, and those with existing registration policies rarely enforce them; this finding suggests that strategies for encouraging prospective registration of clinical trials not subject to FDA regulation should be developed and tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleine Azar
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kira E Riehm
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nazanin Saadat
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Tatiana Sanchez
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Matthew Chiovitti
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lin Qi
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Danielle B Rice
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brooke Levis
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Claire Fedoruk
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alexander W Levis
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lorie A Kloda
- Library, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jonathan Kimmelman
- Studies of Translation, Ethics and Medicine, Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrea Benedetti
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brett D Thombs
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Yan Y, Liang N, Liang S, Sun Y, Robinson N, Liu J. Evaluation of outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials for herbal remedies for adults with chronic hepatitis C. JOURNAL OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL SCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcms.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Goldacre B, Drysdale H, Marston C, Mahtani KR, Dale A, Milosevic I, Slade E, Hartley P, Heneghan C. COMPare: Qualitative analysis of researchers' responses to critical correspondence on a cohort of 58 misreported trials. Trials 2019; 20:124. [PMID: 30760328 PMCID: PMC6374909 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-3172-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Discrepancies between pre-specified and reported outcomes are an important and prevalent source of bias in clinical trials. COMPare (Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Outcome Monitoring Project) monitored all trials in five leading journals for correct outcome reporting, submitted correction letters on all misreported trials in real time, and then monitored responses from editors and trialists. From the trialists' responses, we aimed to answer two related questions. First, what can trialists' responses to corrections on their own misreported trials tell us about trialists' knowledge of correct outcome reporting? Second, what can a cohort of responses to a standardised correction letter tell us about how researchers respond to systematic critical post-publication peer review? METHODS All correspondence from trialists, published by journals in response to a correction letter from COMPare, was filed and indexed. We analysed the letters qualitatively and identified key themes in researchers' errors about correct outcome reporting, and approaches taken by researchers when their work was criticised. RESULTS Trialists frequently expressed views that contradicted the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines or made inaccurate statements about correct outcome reporting. Common themes were: stating that pre-specification after trial commencement is acceptable; incorrect statements about registries; incorrect statements around the handling of multiple time points; and failure to recognise the need to report changes to pre-specified outcomes in the trial report. We identified additional themes in the approaches taken by researchers when responding to critical correspondence, including the following: ad hominem criticism; arguing that trialists should be trusted, rather than follow guidelines for trial reporting; appealing to the existence of a novel category of outcomes whose results need not necessarily be reported; incorrect statements by researchers about their own paper; and statements undermining transparency infrastructure, such as trial registers. CONCLUSIONS Researchers commonly make incorrect statements about correct trial reporting. There are recurring themes in researchers' responses when their work is criticised, some of which fall short of the scientific ideal. Research on methodological shortcomings is now common, typically in the form of retrospective cohort studies describing the overall prevalence of a problem. We argue that prospective cohort studies which additionally issue correction letters in real time on each individual flawed study-and then follow-up responses from trialists and journals-are more impactful, more informative for those consuming the studies critiqued, more informative on the causes of shortcomings in research, and a better use of research resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Goldacre
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Henry Drysdale
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Cicely Marston
- Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT UK
| | - Kamal R. Mahtani
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Aaron Dale
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Ioan Milosevic
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Eirion Slade
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Philip Hartley
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
| | - Carl Heneghan
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG UK
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Patient-Centered Outcomes in the Management of Anemia: A Scoping Review. Transfus Med Rev 2019; 33:7-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tmrv.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Rasmussen K, Bero L, Redberg R, Gøtzsche PC, Lundh A. Collaboration between academics and industry in clinical trials: cross sectional study of publications and survey of lead academic authors. BMJ 2018; 363:k3654. [PMID: 30282703 PMCID: PMC6169401 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k3654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine the role of academic authors, funders, and contract research organisations in industry funded trials of vaccines, drugs, and devices and to determine lead academic authors' experiences with industry funder collaborations. DESIGN Cross sectional analysis of trial publications and survey of lead academic authors. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES The most recent 200 phase III and IV trials of vaccines, drugs, and devices with full industry funding, at least one academic author, published in one of the top seven high impact general medical journals (New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and PLoS Medicine). RESULTS Employees of industry funders co-authored 173 (87%) of publications; 183 (92%) trials reported involvement of funders in design, and 167 (84%) reported involvement of academic authors. Data analysis involved the funder in 146 (73%) trials and the academic authors in 79 (40%). Trial reporting involved the funder in 173 (87%) trials and academic authors in 197 (99%). Contract research organisations were involved in the reporting of 123 (62%) trials.Eighty (40%) of 200 lead academic authors responded to the survey. Twenty nine (33%) of the 80 responders reported that academics had final say on the design. Ten responders described involvement of an unnamed funder and/or contract research organisation employee in the data analysis and/or reporting. Most academic authors found the collaboration with industry funder beneficial, but 3 (4%) experienced delay in publication due to the industry funder and 9 (11%) reported disagreements with the industry funder, mostly concerning trial design and reporting. CONCLUSIONS Industry employees and academic authors are involved in the design, conduct, and reporting of most industry funded trials in high impact journals. However, data analysis is often conducted without academic involvement. Academics view the collaboration as beneficial, but some report loss of academic freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Bero
- Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rita Redberg
- UCSF Division of Cardiology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Andreas Lundh
- Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO) and Odense Patient data Exploratory Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
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Knowledge dissemination in clinical trials: Exploring influences of institutional support and type of innovation on selective reporting. RESEARCH POLICY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Matcham F, Galloway J, Hotopf M, Roberts E, Scott IC, Steer S, Norton S. The Impact of Targeted Rheumatoid Arthritis Pharmacologic Treatment on Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2018; 70:1377-1391. [PMID: 29873196 DOI: 10.1002/art.40565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pharmacotherapy may impact mental health outcomes by improving pain and stiffness, potentially by targeting inflammatory processes common to RA and depression. The objectives of this review were to ascertain the frequency of mental health assessments in RA pharmacotherapy trials, quantify the efficacy of RA pharmacotherapy for mental health outcomes, and explore the clinical and demographic factors related to mental health outcomes. Effective pharmacotherapy alone is unlikely to substantially improve mental health outcomes in most patients with RA. Integrated mental health care provided within routine clinical practice is essential to optimize mental and physical health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Galloway
- King's College London and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Sophia Steer
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Sam Norton
- King's College London and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Duffy JMN, Bhattacharya S, Curtis C, Evers JLH, Farquharson RG, Franik S, Khalaf Y, Legro RS, Lensen S, Mol BW, Niederberger C, Ng EHY, Repping S, Strandell A, Torrance HL, Vail A, van Wely M, Vuong NL, Wang AY, Wang R, Wilkinson J, Youssef MA, Farquhar CM. A protocol developing, disseminating and implementing a core outcome set for infertility. Hum Reprod Open 2018; 2018:hoy007. [PMID: 30895248 PMCID: PMC6276643 DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoy007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTIONS We aim to produce, disseminate and implement a core outcome set for future infertility research. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating infertility treatments have reported many different outcomes, which are often defined and measured in different ways. Such variation contributes to an inability to compare, contrast and combine results of individual RCTs. The development of a core outcome set will ensure outcomes important to key stakeholders are consistently collected and reported across future infertility research. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a consensus study using the modified Delphi method. All stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, allied healthcare professionals, researchers and people with lived experience of infertility will be invited to participate. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS An international steering group, including people with lived experience of infertility, healthcare professionals, allied healthcare professionals and researchers, has been formed to guide the development of this core outcome set. Potential core outcomes have been identified through a comprehensive literature review of RCTs evaluating treatments for infertility and will be entered into a modified Delphi method. Participants will be asked to score potential core outcomes on a nine-point Likert scale anchored between one (not important) and nine (critical). Repeated reflection and rescoring should promote convergence towards consensus ‘core’ outcomes. We will establish standardized definitions and recommend high-quality measurement instruments for individual core outcomes. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This project is funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand Catalyst Fund (3712235). BWM reports consultancy fees from Guerbet, Merck, and ObsEva. R.S.L. reports consultancy fees from Abbvie, Bayer, Fractyl and Ogeda and research sponsorship from Ferring. S.B. is the Editor-in-Chief of Human Reproduction Open. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M N Duffy
- Balliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - S Bhattacharya
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - C Curtis
- Fertility New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand.,School of Psychology, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - J L H Evers
- Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Biology, University Medical Centre Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - R G Farquharson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - S Franik
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Münster University Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Y Khalaf
- Assisted Conception Unit, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - R S Legro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Penn State College of Medicine, PA, USA
| | - S Lensen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - B W Mol
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - C Niederberger
- Department of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - E H Y Ng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - S Repping
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - A Strandell
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - H L Torrance
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - A Vail
- Centre for Biostatistics, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - M van Wely
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Institute, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - N L Vuong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - A Y Wang
- Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia
| | - R Wang
- Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - J Wilkinson
- Centre for Biostatistics, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - M A Youssef
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - C M Farquhar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Murray J, Shenderovich Y, Gardner F, Mikton C, Derzon JH, Liu J, Eisner M. Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies. CRIME AND JUSTICE (CHICAGO, ILL.) 2018; 47:255-364. [PMID: 30310248 PMCID: PMC6176906 DOI: 10.1086/696590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Violent crime is a major cause of social instability, injury, and death in low- and middle-income countries. Longitudinal studies in high-income countries have provided important evidence on developmental precursors of violence and other antisocial behaviors. However, there may be unique influences or different risk factor effects in other social settings. Extensive searches in seven languages and screening of over 60,000 references identified 39 longitudinal studies of antisocial behavior in low- and middle-income countries. Many risk factors have roughly the same average effects as when studied in high-income countries. Stability of aggression over a 3-year period is almost identical across low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries. Dimensions of comorbid psychopathology such as low self-control, hyperactivity, and sensation seeking are associated with antisocial behavior in low- and middle-income countries, but some early physical health factors have consistently weak or null effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Murray
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | - Frances Gardner
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, Oxford University
| | - Christopher Mikton
- Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England
| | - James H Derzon
- Center for Advanced Methods Development, Research Triangle Institute
| | - Jianghong Liu
- School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
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Vermeij J, Westendorp WF, Dippel DWJ, van de Beek D, Nederkoorn PJ. Antibiotic therapy for preventing infections in people with acute stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; 1:CD008530. [PMID: 29355906 PMCID: PMC6491314 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd008530.pub3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stroke is the main cause of disability in high-income countries and ranks second as a cause of death worldwide. Infections occur frequently after stroke and may adversely affect outcome. Preventive antibiotic therapy in the acute phase of stroke may reduce the incidence of infections and improve outcome. In the previous version of this Cochrane Review, published in 2012, we found that antibiotics did reduce the risk of infection but did not reduce the number of dependent or deceased patients. However, included studies were small and heterogeneous. In 2015, two large clinical trials were published, warranting an update of this Review. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness and safety of preventive antibiotic therapy in people with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke. We wished to determine whether preventive antibiotic therapy in people with acute stroke:• reduces the risk of a poor functional outcome (dependency and/or death) at follow-up;• reduces the occurrence of infections in the acute phase of stroke;• reduces the occurrence of elevated body temperature (temperature ≥ 38° C) in the acute phase of stroke;• reduces length of hospital stay; or• leads to an increased rate of serious adverse events, such as anaphylactic shock, skin rash, or colonisation with antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (25 June 2017); the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2017, Issue 5; 25 June 2017) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE Ovid (1950 to 11 May 2017), and Embase Ovid (1980 to 11 May 2017). In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched trials and research registers, scanned reference lists, and contacted trial authors, colleagues, and researchers in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of preventive antibiotic therapy versus control (placebo or open control) in people with acute ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently selected articles and extracted data; we discussed and resolved discrepancies at a consensus meeting with a third review author. We contacted study authors to obtain missing data when required. An independent review author assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes, assessed heterogeneity amongst included studies, and performed subgroup analyses on study quality. MAIN RESULTS We included eight studies involving 4488 participants. Regarding quality of evidence, trials showed differences in study population, study design, type of antibiotic, and definition of infection; however, primary outcomes among the included studies were consistent. Mortality rate in the preventive antibiotic group was not significantly different from that in the control group (373/2208 (17%) vs 360/2214 (16%); RR 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87 to 1.21; high-quality evidence). The number of participants with a poor functional outcome (death or dependency) in the preventive antibiotic therapy group was also not significantly different from that in the control group (1158/2168 (53%) vs 1182/2164 (55%); RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.10; moderate-quality evidence). However, preventive antibiotic therapy did significantly reduce the incidence of 'overall' infections in participants with acute stroke from 26% to 19% (408/2161 (19%) vs 558/2156 (26%); RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.88; high-quality evidence). This finding was highly significant for urinary tract infections (81/2131 (4%) vs 204/2126 (10%); RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.51; high-quality evidence), whereas no preventive effect for pneumonia was found (222/2131 (10%) vs 235/2126 (11%); RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.13; high-quality evidence). No major side effects of preventive antibiotic therapy were reported. Only two studies qualitatively assessed the occurrence of elevated body temperature; therefore, these results could not be pooled. Only one study reported length of hospital stay. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Preventive antibiotics had no effect on functional outcome or mortality, but significantly reduced the risk of 'overall' infections. This reduction was driven mainly by prevention of urinary tract infection; no effect for pneumonia was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan‐Dirk Vermeij
- University of AmsterdamDepartment of Neurology, Academic Medical CentrePO Box 22660AmsterdamNetherlands1100 DD
| | - Willeke F Westendorp
- University of AmsterdamDepartment of Neurology, Academic Medical CentrePO Box 22660AmsterdamNetherlands1100 DD
| | - Diederik WJ Dippel
- Erasmus MC University Medical CenterPO Box 2040RotterdamNetherlands3000 CA
| | - Diederik van de Beek
- University of AmsterdamDepartment of Neurology, Academic Medical CentrePO Box 22660AmsterdamNetherlands1100 DD
| | - Paul J Nederkoorn
- University of AmsterdamDepartment of Neurology, Academic Medical CentrePO Box 22660AmsterdamNetherlands1100 DD
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Li G, Abbade LPF, Nwosu I, Jin Y, Leenus A, Maaz M, Wang M, Bhatt M, Zielinski L, Sanger N, Bantoto B, Luo C, Shams I, Shahid H, Chang Y, Sun G, Mbuagbaw L, Samaan Z, Levine MAH, Adachi JD, Thabane L. A systematic review of comparisons between protocols or registrations and full reports in primary biomedical research. BMC Med Res Methodol 2018; 18:9. [PMID: 29325533 PMCID: PMC5765717 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-017-0465-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prospective study protocols and registrations can play a significant role in reducing incomplete or selective reporting of primary biomedical research, because they are pre-specified blueprints which are available for the evaluation of, and comparison with, full reports. However, inconsistencies between protocols or registrations and full reports have been frequently documented. In this systematic review, which forms part of our series on the state of reporting of primary biomedical, we aimed to survey the existing evidence of inconsistencies between protocols or registrations (i.e., what was planned to be done and/or what was actually done) and full reports (i.e., what was reported in the literature); this was based on findings from systematic reviews and surveys in the literature. METHODS Electronic databases, including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE, were searched to identify eligible surveys and systematic reviews. Our primary outcome was the level of inconsistency (expressed as a percentage, with higher percentages indicating greater inconsistency) between protocols or registration and full reports. We summarized the findings from the included systematic reviews and surveys qualitatively. RESULTS There were 37 studies (33 surveys and 4 systematic reviews) included in our analyses. Most studies (n = 36) compared protocols or registrations with full reports in clinical trials, while a single survey focused on primary studies of clinical trials and observational research. High inconsistency levels were found in outcome reporting (ranging from 14% to 100%), subgroup reporting (from 12% to 100%), statistical analyses (from 9% to 47%), and other measure comparisons. Some factors, such as outcomes with significant results, sponsorship, type of outcome and disease speciality were reported to be significantly related to inconsistent reporting. CONCLUSIONS We found that inconsistent reporting between protocols or registrations and full reports of primary biomedical research is frequent, prevalent and suboptimal. We also identified methodological issues such as the need for consensus on measuring inconsistency across sources for trial reports, and more studies evaluating transparency and reproducibility in reporting all aspects of study design and analysis. A joint effort involving authors, journals, sponsors, regulators and research ethics committees is required to solve this problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guowei Li
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada. .,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH) Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Luciana P F Abbade
- Department of Dermatology and Radiotherapy, Botucatu Medical School, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ikunna Nwosu
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Yanling Jin
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Alvin Leenus
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammad Maaz
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Mei Wang
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Meha Bhatt
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Laura Zielinski
- McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Nitika Sanger
- Medical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Bianca Bantoto
- Integrated Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Candice Luo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Ieta Shams
- Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Hamnah Shahid
- Arts and Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Yaping Chang
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Guangwen Sun
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada
| | - Lawrence Mbuagbaw
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada.,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Zainab Samaan
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Mitchell A H Levine
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada.,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH) Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Jonathan D Adachi
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada.,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Lehana Thabane
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, 501-25 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1Y2, Canada. .,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 3rd Floor Martha, Room H325, 50 Charlton Avenue E, Hamilton, ON, L8N 4A6, Canada.
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Levey C, Innes N, Schwendicke F, Lamont T, Göstemeyer G. Outcomes in randomised controlled trials in prevention and management of carious lesions: a systematic review. Trials 2017; 18:515. [PMID: 29096680 PMCID: PMC5669005 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-017-2256-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Inconsistent outcome reporting is one significant hurdle to combining results from trials into systematic reviews. Core outcome sets (COS) can reduce this barrier. The aim of this review was to map outcomes reported in caries prevention and management randomised controlled trials (RCT) as a first step to COS development. We also investigated RCT characteristics and reporting of primary outcomes and sample size calculations. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge and Cochrane CENTRAL were systematically searched (1 January 1968 to 25 August 2015). Inclusion criteria: RCTs comparing any technique for prevention or management of caries with another or placebo and RCTs comparing interventions to support patients undergoing treatment of caries (without setting, dentition or age restrictions). Categories were developed through piloting and group consensus and outcomes grouped accordingly. Results Of 4773 search results, 764 were potentially relevant, full text was available for 731 papers and 605 publications met the inclusion criteria and were included. For all outcomes across the time periods 1968–1980 and 2001–2010, reporting of outcome ‘caries experience’ reduced from 39% to 18%; ‘clinical performance of the restoration’ reporting increased from 33% to 42% although there was a reduction to 22% in 2011–2015. Emerging outcome domains include ‘lesion activity’ and ‘pulp health-related outcomes’, accounting for 1% and 0%, respectively, during 1968–1980 and 10% and 4% for 2011–2015. Reporting ‘resource efficiency’ and ‘quality of life measures’ have remained at a low level. No publications reported tooth survival independent of an index such as DMFT or equivalent. Primary outcomes were only identified as such in 414 (68%) of the reports. Conclusions Over the past 50 years, outcome reporting for trials on prevention and management of carious lesions have tended to focus on outcomes measuring caries experience and restoration material clinical performance with lesion activity and cost-effectiveness increasingly being reported. Patient-reported and patient-focused outcomes are becoming more common (although as secondary outcomes) but remain low in use. The challenge with developing a COS will be balancing commonly previously reported outcomes against those more relevant for the future. Trial registration PROSPERO, CRD42015025310. Registered on 14 August 2015, Trials (Schwendicke et al., Trials 16:397, 2015) and COMET initiative online (COMET, 2017). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2256-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Levey
- School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, UK.
| | - Nicola Innes
- School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, UK
| | - Falk Schwendicke
- Department of Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Lamont
- School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, UK
| | - Gerd Göstemeyer
- Department of Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
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Carroll HA, Toumpakari Z, Johnson L, Betts JA. The perceived feasibility of methods to reduce publication bias. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186472. [PMID: 29065125 PMCID: PMC5655535 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Publication bias is prevalent within the scientific literature. Whilst there are multiple ideas on how to reduce publication bias, only a minority of journals have made substantive changes to address the problem. We aimed to explore the perceived feasibility of strategies to reduce publication bias by gauging opinions of journal editors (n = 73) and other academics/researchers (n = 160) regarding nine methods of publishing and peer-reviewing research: mandatory publication, negative results journals/articles, open reviewing, peer-review training and accreditation, post-publication review, pre-study publication of methodology, published rejection lists, research registration, and two-stage review. Participants completed a questionnaire asking both quantitative (multiple choice or Likert scales) and qualitative (open-ended) questions regarding the barriers to implementing each suggestion, and their strengths and limitations. Participants were asked to rate the nine suggestions, then choose the method they felt was most effective. Mandatory publication was most popularly selected as the 'most effective' method of reducing publication bias for editors (25%), and was the third most popular choice for academics/researchers (14%). The most common selection for academics/researchers was two-stage review (26%), but fewer editors prioritised this (11%). Negative results journals/articles were the second and third most common choices for academics/researchers (21%) and editors (16%), respectively. Editors more commonly chose research registration as 'most effective' (21%), which was favoured by only 6% of academics/researchers. Whilst mandatory publication was generally favoured by respondents, it is infeasible to trial at a journal level. Where suggestions have already been implemented (e.g. negative results journals/articles, trial registration), efforts should be made to objectively assess their efficacy. Two-stage review should be further trialled as its popularity amongst academics/researchers suggests it may be well received, though editors may be less receptive. Several underlying barriers to change also emerged, including scientific culture, impact factors, and researcher training; these should be further explored to reduce publication bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet A. Carroll
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Zoi Toumpakari
- Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Johnson
- Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - James A. Betts
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, United Kingdom
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Grimmer K, Milanese S, Dizon J. Successful publishing: The use of reporting guidelines. PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/pri.1696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Grimmer
- Stellenbosch University; Cape Town South Africa
| | - S. Milanese
- International Centre for Allied Health Evidence; University of South Australia; Adelaide Australia
| | - J. Dizon
- International Centre for Allied Health Evidence; University of South Australia; Adelaide Australia
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Effects of Qigong on symptom management in cancer patients: A systematic review. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2017; 29:111-121. [PMID: 29122248 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Qigong as a complementary and alternative therapy is often used by cancer patients for symptom management. The aim of this systematic review is to critically evaluate the effectiveness of Qigong on symptom management among cancer patients. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in the following databases from their inception through May 2016: Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PEDRO. All controlled clinical trials of Qigong among cancer patients were included. The strength of the evidence was evaluated for all included studies using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Tool for Assessing Risk of Bias. RESULTS Twenty-two studies including fifteen randomized controlled trials and eight controlled clinical trials examined the efficacy of Qigong in symptom management among patients with various cancers. Results of these studies indicated that symptoms in the Qigong group were significantly improved or there was an observed positive trend from pre-to post-interventions scores for physical symptoms and psychological symptoms. CONCLUSION The effectiveness of Qigong as a health practice adopted by cancer patients to manage their symptoms during their cancer journey is not proven, but there are promising results that need further verification in future research.
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Outcome reporting bias in randomized-controlled trials investigating antipsychotic drugs. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1232. [PMID: 28895941 PMCID: PMC5639247 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent literature hints that outcomes of clinical trials in medicine are selectively reported. If applicable to psychotic disorders, such bias would jeopardize the reliability of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating antipsychotics and thus their extrapolation to clinical practice. We therefore comprehensively examined outcome reporting bias in RCTs of antipsychotic drugs by a systematic review of prespecified outcomes on ClinicalTrials.gov records of RCTs investigating antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2013. These outcomes were compared with outcomes published in scientific journals. Our primary outcome measure was concordance between prespecified and published outcomes; secondary outcome measures included outcome modifications on ClinicalTrials.gov after trial inception and the effects of funding source and directionality of results on record adherence. Of the 48 RCTs, 85% did not fully adhere to the prespecified outcomes. Discrepancies between prespecified and published outcomes were found in 23% of RCTs for primary outcomes, whereas 81% of RCTs had at least one secondary outcome non-reported, newly introduced, or changed to a primary outcome in the respective publication. In total, 14% of primary and 44% of secondary prespecified outcomes were modified after trial initiation. Neither funding source (P=0.60) nor directionality of the RCT results (P=0.10) impacted ClinicalTrials.gov record adherence. Finally, the number of published safety endpoints (N=335) exceeded the number of prespecified safety outcomes by 5.5 fold. We conclude that RCTs investigating antipsychotic drugs suffer from substantial outcome reporting bias and offer suggestions to both monitor and limit such bias in the future.
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Bashir R, Bourgeois FT, Dunn AG. A systematic review of the processes used to link clinical trial registrations to their published results. Syst Rev 2017; 6:123. [PMID: 28669351 PMCID: PMC5494826 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-017-0518-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies measuring the completeness and consistency of trial registration and reporting rely on linking registries with bibliographic databases. In this systematic review, we quantified the processes used to identify these links. METHODS PubMed and Embase databases were searched from inception to May 2016 for studies linking trial registries with bibliographic databases. The processes used to establish these links were categorised as automatic when the registration identifier was available in the bibliographic database or publication, or manual when linkage required inference or contacting of trial investigators. The number of links identified by each process was extracted where available. Linear regression was used to determine whether the proportions of links available via automatic processes had increased over time. RESULTS In 43 studies that examined cohorts of registry entries, 24 used automatic and manual processes to find articles; 3 only automatic; and 11 only manual (5 did not specify). Twelve studies reported results for both manual and automatic processes and showed that a median of 23% (range from 13 to 42%) included automatic links to articles, while 17% (range from 5 to 42%) of registry entries required manual processes to find articles. There was no evidence that the proportion of registry entries with automatic links had increased (R 2 = 0.02, p = 0.36). In 39 studies that examined cohorts of articles, 21 used automatic and manual processes; 9 only automatic; and 2 only manual (7 did not specify). Sixteen studies reported numbers for automatic and manual processes and indicated that a median of 49% (range from 8 to 97%) of articles had automatic links to registry entries, and 10% (range from 0 to 28%) required manual processes to find registry entries. There was no evidence that the proportion of articles with automatic links to registry entries had increased (R 2 = 0.01, p = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS The linkage of trial registries to their corresponding publications continues to require extensive manual processes. We did not find that the use of automatic linkage has increased over time. Further investigation is needed to inform approaches that will ensure publications are properly linked to trial registrations, thus enabling efficient monitoring of trial reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabia Bashir
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Florence T Bourgeois
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam G Dunn
- Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
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Young A, Brookes S, Rumsey N, Blazeby J. Agreement on what to measure in randomised controlled trials in burn care: study protocol for the development of a core outcome set. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e017267. [PMID: 28669969 PMCID: PMC5734442 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In 2004, nearly 11 million severely burn-injured patients required medical care worldwide. Burns cause prolonged hospitalisation and long-term disability. Although mortality has been reduced, morbidity remains significant.Burn care is costly and decision-making is challenging. A range of procedures are performed at different times after injury; new technology is emerging and alternate care pathways are regularly introduced. Data to guide evidence-based decision-making are lacking. Researchers use different outcomes to assess recovery, so it is not possible to combine trial information to draw meaningful conclusions. Early recovery measures include length of hospital stay, healing time and treatment complications. Longer-term outcomes include issues with function, cosmesis and psychological health. Reporting an agreed set of the most important outcomes (core outcome set (COS)) in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) will allow effective evidence synthesis to support clinical decisions. Patient input will ensure relevance. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The aim is to produce a burn COS for RCT reporting. A long list of outcomes will be identified through systematic reviews of clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Additional outcomes will be identified from interviews with patients over 10 years, parents of children of any age and multidisciplinary professionals. A two-stage modified Delphi exercise will be undertaken to prioritise and condense the list, with patients (n=150) at different stages of recovery. We will also include nursing, therapy (n=100) and medical staff (n=100). A reduced list will be taken to consensus meetings with families and clinical staff to achieve a final COS. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION A COS will reduce outcome reporting heterogeneity in burn care research, allowing more effective use of research funding and facilitating evidence synthesis and evidence-based clinical decision-making. Stakeholders will include journal editors, health commissioners, researchers, patients and professionals. The study has ethical approval and is registered with Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials Initiative (http://www.comet-initiative.org/studies/details/798?result=true).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Young
- School of Social and Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sara Brookes
- School of Social and Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Nichola Rumsey
- Centre for Appearance Research, Department of Health & Social Sciences, Faculty of Health & Applied Sciences, Frenchay Campus, University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Bristol, UK
| | - Jane Blazeby
- School of Social and Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Wayant C, Scheckel C, Hicks C, Nissen T, Leduc L, Som M, Vassar M. Evidence of selective reporting bias in hematology journals: A systematic review. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178379. [PMID: 28570573 PMCID: PMC5453439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Selective reporting bias occurs when chance or selective outcome reporting rather than the intervention contributes to group differences. The prevailing concern about selective reporting bias is the possibility of results being modified towards specific conclusions. In this study, we evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in hematology journals, a group in which selective outcome reporting has not yet been explored. Methods Our primary goal was to examine discrepancies between the reported primary and secondary outcomes in registered and published RCTs concerning hematological malignancies reported in hematology journals with a high impact factor. The secondary goals were to address whether outcome reporting discrepancies favored statistically significant outcomes, whether a pattern existed between the funding source and likelihood of outcome reporting bias, and whether temporal trends were present in outcome reporting bias. For trials with major outcome discrepancies, we contacted trialists to determine reasons for these discrepancies. Trials published between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015 in Blood; British Journal of Haematology; American Journal of Hematology; Leukemia; and Haematologica were included. Results Of 499 RCTs screened, 109 RCTs were included. Our analysis revealed 118 major discrepancies and 629 total discrepancies. Among the 118 discrepancies, 30 (25.4%) primary outcomes were demoted, 47 (39.8%) primary outcomes were omitted, and 30 (25.4%) primary outcomes were added. Three (2.5%) secondary outcomes were upgraded to a primary outcome. The timing of assessment for a primary outcome changed eight (6.8%) times. Thirty-one major discrepancies were published with a P-value and twenty-five (80.6%) favored statistical significance. A majority of authors whom we contacted cited a pre-planned subgroup analysis as a reason for outcome changes. Conclusion Our results suggest that outcome changes occur frequently in hematology trials. Because RCTs ultimately underpin clinical judgment and guide policy implementation, selective reporting could pose a threat to medical decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Wayant
- Department of Institutional Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Caleb Scheckel
- Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Chandler Hicks
- Department of Institutional Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Timothy Nissen
- Department of Institutional Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Linda Leduc
- Internal Medicine, Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Mousumi Som
- Internal Medicine, Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Matt Vassar
- Department of Institutional Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
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Perlmutter A, Tran VT, Dechartres A, Ravaud P. Statistical controversies in clinical research: comparison of primary outcomes in protocols, public clinical-trial registries and publications: the example of oncology trials. Ann Oncol 2017; 28:688-695. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdw682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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Fleming GE, Kimonis ER, Datyner A, Comer JS. Adapting Internet-Delivered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy to Treat Co-Occurring Disruptive Behavior and Callous-Unemotional Traits: A Case Study. Clin Case Stud 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/1534650117699471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) are highly prevalent, emerge in early childhood, exhibit considerable stability across time, and are associated with profound disability. When DBD co-occur with callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., lack of empathy/guilt), the risk of early-onset, stable, and severe disruptive behavior is even higher, relative to DBD alone. Early intervention is critical, and there is robust empirical support for the efficacy of parent management training (PMT) for reducing disruptive behavior in young children. However, broad access to these interventions is hindered by numerous systemic barriers, including geographic disparities in availability of services. To overcome these barriers and enhance access and quality of care to underserved communities, several PMT programs have been adapted to online delivery formats, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). PCIT is an evidence-supported treatment that attempts to reduce disruptive child behavior by improving the parent–child relationship and implementing consistent and effective discipline strategies. Comer and colleagues proposed an online adaptation of PCIT (I-PCIT) that is delivered using video teleconferencing (VTC). I-PCIT was implemented with the family of a 5-year-old Australian boy presenting with clinically significant disruptive behavior and CU traits living in a rural community. Findings from this case report (a) document an improvement in disruptive behavior that was maintained to follow-up and (b) provide preliminary support for adapting PCIT to online delivery formats to enhance accessibility of services and improve child and parent outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amy Datyner
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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