Reporting randomized controlled trials: an experiment and a call for responses from readers
Article Abstract:
A structured report format for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may encourage rigorous research and complete reporting. Carefully performed RCTs produce highly reliable information about medical interventions. Investigators who fail to design, conduct, and report an RTC properly tend to overestimate the effect of the treatment. A checklist and structure for RCT reports ensure that readers, editors, and reviewers are privy to the many steps in an RCT and allow judgments about an RCT's validity. In 1995, authors of an RCT rewrote their paper to correspond to a proposed structured reporting format. The format disrupted the logical flow of ideas and interfered with readability. The article became lengthy and the generalizability of the study was not addressed. Despite these problems, a structured RCT format will improve the conduct and reporting of clinical trials. Proposed RCT structures must be reviewed and meta-analysts, physicians, and researchers must agree on one format.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Fair Conduct and Fair Reporting of Clinical Trials
Article Abstract:
Clinical trial registries are needed to ensure the accurate reporting of all medical research results. Scientists who do meta-analyses sometimes encounter problems with the reports of clinical trials. A meta-analysis combines several clinical trials into one large trial. A 1999 report from one group performing a meta-analysis found that some researchers are unable to provide details to clear up these problems. One solution is to register all the details of the trial in some central repository. Some pharmaceutical companies have already promised to register all the studies they sponsor.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1999
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CONSORT Revised--Improving the Reporting of Randomized Trials
Article Abstract:
The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) have been revised to incorporate suggestions and criticisms and will hopefully improve the reporting of clinical trials in medical journals. Other researchers are creating similar guidelines for reporting other types of medical research, including meta-analyses, evaluations of diagnostic tests, and case-control and cohort studies.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2001
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