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Daltro-Oliveira R, Quintairos A, Santos LIO, Salluh JIF, Nassar AP. Examining inequality in scientific production: a focus on critical care publications and global economic disparities. Intensive Care Med 2024:10.1007/s00134-024-07553-x. [PMID: 39017696 DOI: 10.1007/s00134-024-07553-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda Quintairos
- Department of Critical Care and Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mater Dei Porto Dias Hospital, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Jorge I Figueira Salluh
- Department of Critical Care and Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Antonio P Nassar
- Fundação Antonio Prudente- A C Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Department of Critical Care and Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Oliveira-Ciabati L, Thorson A, Brizuela V. Scientific production in sexual and reproductive health and rights research according to gender and affiliation: An analysis of publications from 1972 to 2021. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304659. [PMID: 38923959 PMCID: PMC11207172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Peer-reviewed literature is commonly used to assess academic progress and research excellency. However, representation in authorship of global health publications is biased and unfair. In order to shed light on current gaps towards attaining gender equality in scientific production and shift power asymmetries in global health research, we conducted an assessment of authorship trends from 1972 to 2021 with a focus on gender and geographic representation in scientific articles authored or co-authored by researchers affiliated with UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP). METHODS We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and HRP public reports for publications where at least one author was affiliated with HRP. Our main outcome measures were author gender and location of author affiliation, classified by region and country income group. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the publications under analysis as well as the total number of authors from the included papers. We applied a logistic regression model to explore associations between author gender and other characteristics of published articles and a time series analysis to assess how time can influence the inclusion of women as authors in a publication. Python and R were used for all analyses. RESULTS A total of 1,484 publications with 14,424 listed authors representing 5,950 unique authors were included in our analysis: 42.5% were female, 35.1% male, and 22.4% unknown (p<0.0001). First authorship was more likely female (56.9%) and from a high-income country (74.6%, p<0.0001) while last authorship was mostly male (53.7%) also from a high-income country (82.5%, p<0.0001). Females more frequently published papers using qualitative data (61.4%) and reviews/estimates (59.4%) while men published more case control (70.7%) and randomised controlled studies (53.0%), p<0.0001. The adjusted odds of there being a female author increased 4% for every additional year that passed. CONCLUSION While there are more females authoring articles as compared to the past, they are still lagging behind with regards to seniority and prestige. Likewise, female representation is closely tied to what institution they are affiliated with and where that institution is located. Global health research institutions need to actively promote change by ensuring women are included in research and research outputs, giving them opportunities to lead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Oliveira-Ciabati
- Health Innovation Techcenter (HIT), Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil
- Barão de Mauá University Center, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Anna Thorson
- UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa Brizuela
- UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Staibano P, Oulousian E, McKechnie T, Thabane A, Luo S, Gupta MK, Zhang H, Pasternak JD, Au M, Parpia S, Young JEM(T, Bhandari M. Adaptive clinical trials in surgery: A scoping review of methodological and reporting quality. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299494. [PMID: 38805454 PMCID: PMC11132449 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Adaptive surgical trials are scarce, but adopting these methods may help elevate the quality of surgical research when large-scale RCTs are impractical. OBJECTIVE Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for evidence-based healthcare. Despite an increase in the number of RCTs, the number of surgical trials remains unchanged. Adaptive clinical trials can streamline trial design and time to trial reporting. The advantages identified for ACTs may help to improve the quality of future surgical trials. We present a scoping review of the methodological and reporting quality of adaptive surgical trials. EVIDENCE REVIEW We performed a search of Ovid, Web of Science, and Cochrane Collaboration for all adaptive surgical RCTs performed from database inception to October 12, 2023. We included any published trials that had at least one surgical arm. All review and abstraction were performed in duplicate. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the RoB 2.0 instrument and reporting quality was evaluated using CONSORT ACE 2020. All results were analyzed using descriptive methods. FINDINGS Of the 1338 studies identified, six trials met inclusion criteria. Trials were performed in cardiothoracic, oral, orthopedic, and urological surgery. The most common type of adaptive trial was group sequential design with pre-specified interim analyses planned for efficacy, futility, and/or sample size re-estimation. Two trials did use statistical simulations. Our risk of bias evaluation identified a high risk of bias in 50% of included trials. Reporting quality was heterogeneous regarding trial design and outcome assessment and details in relation to randomization and blinding concealment. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE Surgical trialists should consider implementing adaptive components to help improve patient recruitment and reduce trial duration. Reporting of future adaptive trials must adhere to existing CONSORT ACE 2020 guidelines. Future research is needed to optimize standardization of adaptive methods across medicine and surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Staibano
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Oulousian
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McGill University School of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Tyler McKechnie
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alex Thabane
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Samuel Luo
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael K. Gupta
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Han Zhang
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jesse D. Pasternak
- Endocrine Surgery Section Head, Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Au
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sameer Parpia
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - J. E. M. (Ted) Young
- Division of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohit Bhandari
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Charpignon ML, Matos J, Nakayama L, Gallifant J, Alfonso PGI, Cobanaj M, Fiske A, Gates AJ, Ho FDV, Jain U, Kashkooli M, McCoy LG, Shaffer J, Link Woite N, Celi LA. Does diversity beget diversity? A scientometric analysis of over 150,000 studies and 49,000 authors published in high-impact medical journals between 2007 and 2022. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.03.21.24304695. [PMID: 38562711 PMCID: PMC10984076 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.21.24304695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Background Health research that significantly impacts global clinical practice and policy is often published in high-impact factor (IF) medical journals. These outlets play a pivotal role in the worldwide dissemination of novel medical knowledge. However, researchers identifying as women and those affiliated with institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have been largely underrepresented in high-IF journals across multiple fields of medicine. To evaluate disparities in gender and geographical representation among authors who have published in any of five top general medical journals, we conducted scientometric analyses using a large-scale dataset extracted from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The British Medical Journal (BMJ), The Lancet, and Nature Medicine. Methods Author metadata from all articles published in the selected journals between 2007 and 2022 were collected using the DimensionsAI platform. The Genderize.io API was then utilized to infer each author's likely gender based on their extracted first name. The World Bank country classification was used to map countries associated with researcher affiliations to the LMIC or the high-income country (HIC) category. We characterized the overall gender and country income category representation across the medical journals. In addition, we computed article-level diversity metrics and contrasted their distributions across the journals. Findings We studied 151,536 authors across 49,764 articles published in five top medical journals, over a long period spanning 15 years. On average, approximately one-third (33.1%) of the authors of a given paper were inferred to be women; this result was consistent across the journals we studied. Further, 86.6% of the teams were exclusively composed of HIC authors; in contrast, only 3.9% were exclusively composed of LMIC authors. The probability of serving as the first or last author was significantly higher if the author was inferred to be a man (18.1% vs 16.8%, P < .01) or was affiliated with an institution in a HIC (16.9% vs 15.5%, P < .01). Our primary finding reveals that having a diverse team promotes further diversity, within the same dimension (i.e., gender or geography) and across dimensions. Notably, papers with at least one woman among the authors were more likely to also involve at least two LMIC authors (11.7% versus 10.4% in baseline, P < .001; based on inferred gender); conversely, papers with at least one LMIC author were more likely to also involve at least two women (49.4% versus 37.6%, P < .001; based on inferred gender). Conclusion We provide a scientometric framework to assess authorship diversity. Our research suggests that the inclusiveness of high-impact medical journals is limited in terms of both gender and geography. We advocate for medical journals to adopt policies and practices that promote greater diversity and collaborative research. In addition, our findings offer a first step towards understanding the composition of teams conducting medical research globally and an opportunity for individual authors to reflect on their own collaborative research practices and possibilities to cultivate more diverse partnerships in their work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Laure Charpignon
- Institute for Data Systems and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - João Matos
- Laboratory for Computational Physiology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP), Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESCTEC), Porto, Portugal
| | - Luis Nakayama
- Laboratory for Computational Physiology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, São Paulo Federal University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jack Gallifant
- Laboratory for Computational Physiology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Critical Care, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marisa Cobanaj
- Institute of Radiooncology-OncoRay, National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Amelia Fiske
- Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander J Gates
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - Urvish Jain
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mohammad Kashkooli
- Epilepsy Research Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Liam G McCoy
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jonathan Shaffer
- Department of Sociology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Naira Link Woite
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leo Anthony Celi
- Laboratory for Computational Physiology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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Jiang L, Raza A, El Ariss AB, Chen D, Danaher-Garcia N, Lee J, He S. Impact of medical technologies may be predicted using constructed graph bibliometrics. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2419. [PMID: 38287044 PMCID: PMC10824713 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52233-x] [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: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Scientific research is driven by allocation of funding to different research projects based in part on the predicted scientific impact of the work. Data-driven algorithms can inform decision-making of scarce funding resources by identifying likely high-impact studies using bibliometrics. Compared to standardized citation-based metrics alone, we utilize a machine learning pipeline that analyzes high-dimensional relationships among a range of bibliometric features to improve the accuracy of predicting high-impact research. Random forest classification models were trained using 28 bibliometric features calculated from a dataset of 1,485,958 publications in medicine to retrospectively predict whether a publication would become high-impact. For each random forest model, the balanced accuracy score was above 0.95 and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was above 0.99. The high performance of high impact research prediction using our proposed models show that machine learning technologies are promising algorithms that can support funding decision-making for medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David Chen
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Jarone Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
- Trauma, Emergency Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Shuhan He
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
- School of Healthcare Leadership, Institute of Health Professions, Boston, USA
- Trauma, Emergency Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
- Lab of Computer Science, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
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Al-Moraissi EA, Ho YS, Christidis N. Publication performance and trends in bruxism research: A bibliometric analysis. J Oral Rehabil 2023; 50:1217-1228. [PMID: 37334738 DOI: 10.1111/joor.13544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bruxism is an umbrella term that encompass a multidimensional spectrum of masticatory muscle activities. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to do a bibliometric analysis including citation performance in the research topic of bruxism, by using an innovative method including details of article title, author keyword, KeyWords Plus and abstracts. METHODS The data were retrieved 2022-12-19 from the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection, and the online version of the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) for studies published 1992 to 2021. To evaluate research trends, the distribution of keywords in the article title and author-selected keywords were used. RESULTS The search yielded 3233 documents in SCI-EXPANDED, of which 2598 were of the document-type 'articles' published in 676 journals. The analysis of the articles revealed that "bruxism/sleep bruxism," "electromyography," "temporomandibular disorders" and "masticatory muscles" are the most used keywords by the authors. Further, the most frequently cited study was published 9 years ago and handles the present definition of bruxism. CONCLUSION The most productive authors and those with the highest performance have some common features; they have several national and international collaborations; and they have published articles about the definition, aetiology/pathophysiology and prevalence of bruxism, all senior researchers in the field of TMD. Hopefully, based on this study, researchers and clinicians will have information to be stimulated to outline future research projects on bruxism-related aspects, and to initiate new international or multinational collaborations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Essam Ahmed Al-Moraissi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Thamar University, Thamar, Yemen
| | - Yuh-Shan Ho
- Trend Research Centre, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Nikolaos Christidis
- Division of Oral Diagnostics and Rehabilitation, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
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Williams A, Lennox L, Harris M, Antonacci G. Supporting translation of research evidence into practice-the use of Normalisation Process Theory to assess and inform implementation within randomised controlled trials: a systematic review. Implement Sci 2023; 18:55. [PMID: 37891671 PMCID: PMC10612208 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-023-01311-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The status of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) as the 'gold standard' for evaluating efficacy in healthcare interventions is increasingly debated among the research community, due to often insufficient consideration for implementation. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT), which focuses on the work required to embed processes into practice, offers a potentially useful framework for addressing these concerns. While the theory has been deployed in numerous RCTs to date, more work is needed to consolidate understanding of if, and how, NPT may aid implementation planning and processes within RCTs. Therefore, this review seeks to understand how NPT contributes to understanding the dynamics of implementation processes within RCTs. Specifically, this review will identify and characterise NPT operationalisation, benefits and reported challenges and limitations in RCTs. METHODS A qualitative systematic review with narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed journal articles from eight databases was conducted. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported sufficient detail on the use of NPT within RCTs in a healthcare domain. A pre-specified data extraction template was developed based on the research questions of this review. A narrative synthesis was performed to identify recurrent findings. RESULTS Searches identified 48 articles reporting 42 studies eligible for inclusion. Findings suggest that NPT is primarily operationalised prospectively during the data collection stage, with limited sub-construct utilisation overall. NPT is beneficial in understanding implementation processes by aiding the identification and analysis of key factors, such as understanding intervention fidelity in real-world settings. Nearly three-quarters of studies failed to report the challenges and limitations of utilising NPT, though coding difficulties and data falling outside the NPT framework are most common. CONCLUSIONS NPT appears to be a consistent and generalisable framework for explaining the dynamics of implementation processes within RCTs. However, operationalisation of the theory to its full extent is necessary to improve its use in practice, as it is currently deployed in varying capacities. Recommendations for future research include investigation of NPT alongside other frameworks, as well as earlier operationalisation and greater use of NPT sub-constructs. TRIAL REGISTRATION The protocol for this systematic review was accepted for public registration on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42022345427) on 26 July 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Williams
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Northwest London, Charing Cross Campus, London, W6 8RP, UK.
| | - Laura Lennox
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Northwest London, Charing Cross Campus, London, W6 8RP, UK
- Business School, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation (CHEPI), Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Campus, London, SW10 9N, UK
| | - Matthew Harris
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Northwest London, Charing Cross Campus, London, W6 8RP, UK
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Grazia Antonacci
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Northwest London, Charing Cross Campus, London, W6 8RP, UK
- Business School, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation (CHEPI), Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Campus, London, SW10 9N, UK
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Littman E, Hsiao D, Gautham KS. The paucity of high-level evidence for therapy in pediatric cardiology. Ann Pediatr Cardiol 2023; 16:316-321. [PMID: 38766450 PMCID: PMC11098293 DOI: 10.4103/apc.apc_120_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Clinical practice should be based on the highest quality of evidence available. Therefore, we aimed to classify publications in the field of pediatric cardiology in the year 2021 based on the level of scientific evidence. Materials and Methods A PubMed search was performed to identify pediatric cardiology articles published in the calendar year 2021. The abstract or manuscript of each study was reviewed. Each study was categorized as high, medium, or low level of evidence based on the study design. Disease investigated, treatment studied, and country of publication were recorded. Randomized control trials (RCTs) in similar fields of neonatology and adult cardiology were identified for comparison. Descriptive statistics were performed on the level of evidence, type of disease, country of publication, and therapeutic intervention. Results In 2021, 731 studies were identified. A decrease in prevalence for the level of evidence as a function of low, medium, and high was found (50.1%, 44.2%, and 5.8%, respectively). A low level of evidence studies was the majority for all types of cardiac disease identified, including acquired heart disease, arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, and heart failure, and for treatment modalities, including circulatory support, defibrillator, percutaneous intervention, medicine, and surgery. In a subgroup analysis, most high-level evidence studies were from the USA (31%), followed by China (26.2%) and India (14.3%). Comparing RCTs, 21 RCTs were identified in pediatric cardiology compared to 178 in neonatology and 413 in adult ischemic heart disease. Conclusions There is a great need for the conduct of studies that offer a high level of evidence in the discipline of pediatric cardiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Littman
- Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Diana Hsiao
- Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Kanekal S. Gautham
- Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Health System, Orlando, FL, USA
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Anderson DB, Mobbs RJ, Smith ZA, De Luca K, Sabet T, Van Gelder JM. Importance of valid, reliable, and responsive outcome measures for lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine J 2023; 23:345-349. [PMID: 36436767 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2022.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David B Anderson
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia; Sydney Spine Institute, Burwood, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Ralph J Mobbs
- Neuro Spine Surgery Research Group (NSURG), Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Wearables and Gait Assessment Research Group [WAGAR], Sydney Australia
| | - Zachary A Smith
- University of Oklahoma Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Katie De Luca
- Discipline of Chiropractic, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tamer Sabet
- University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Sydney, Australia
| | - James M Van Gelder
- Sydney Spine Institute, Burwood, Sydney, Australia; Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Sydney, Australia; Concord General Repatriation Hospital, Concord, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Reuter-Selbach MJ, Su N, Faggion CM. ASSESSMENT OF THE FREQUENCY OF REPORTING DENTAL PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES (dPROs) IN A SAMPLE OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON ROOT COVERAGE PROCEDURES. J Evid Based Dent Pract 2023; 23:101793. [PMID: 36707163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jebdp.2022.101793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs) are important for understanding the impact of proposed therapies on patients' oral health. The aims of the present study were to investigate the frequency of the reporting of dPROs in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of root coverage procedures and to assess associations between the study/article characteristics and the reporting level of the dPROs. METHODS The PubMed database was searched for RCTs of root coverage procedures in March 16, 2022 and articles published up to March 2022 were included. Information on the types of outcomes and the characteristics of the studies/articles were extracted and reported as frequencies and percentages. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations between the study/article characteristics and the reporting level of dPROs. RESULTS The search initially identified 387 articles, and after applying the eligibility criteria, 135 articles reporting 135 RCTs were included. A combination of dPROs and non-dPROs was reported in 61.5% of the selected trials, while 37.8% of the trials reported only non-dPROs. Pain or discomfort was the most frequently reported dPRO (n = 58, 43% of the RCTs). More recently published RCTs reported more dPROs. The country of the first author (odds ratio [OR]: 4.39; 95% CI: 1.76-10.95; P < .01), protocol registration (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.16-0.83; P = .02), and RCT type (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.83; P = .02) were significantly associated with the reporting level of the dPROs. CONCLUSIONS Researchers in recent years seem to be paying more attention to the importance of dPROs. RCTs in which the first authors were from developed countries, registered trials, and RCTs with a parallel design were more likely to report dPROs than RCTs with first authors from developing countries, unregistered trials, and RCTs with a split-mouth design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian J Reuter-Selbach
- Department of Periodontology and Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Naichuan Su
- Department of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Clovis Mariano Faggion
- Department of Periodontology and Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
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Ransing R, Vadivel R, Halabi SE, Jatchavala C, Shalbafan M, Noël C, Noor IM, Yee A, Gürcan A, Ramalho R. Language as Multi-Level Barrier in Health Research and the Way Forward. Indian J Psychol Med 2023; 45:65-68. [PMID: 36778626 PMCID: PMC9896124 DOI: 10.1177/02537176211052071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ramdas Ransing
- Dept. of Psychiatry, BKL Walawalkar Rural Medical College, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India
| | - Ramyadarshni Vadivel
- Dept. of Mental Health and Addictions, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Sarah El Halabi
- Dept. of Narrative Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chonnakarn Jatchavala
- Dept. of Psychiatry,Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Mohammadreza Shalbafan
- Mental Health Research Center, Dept. of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Camille Noël
- Child Psychiatry Dept., Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Child and adolescent psychiatry hospital La Petite Maison ACIS, Chastre, Belgium
| | | | - Anne Yee
- Dept. of Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ahmet Gürcan
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Koru Ankara Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Rodrigo Ramalho
- Dept. of Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Evaluating the online impact of reporting guidelines for randomised trial reports and protocols: a cross-sectional web-based data analysis of CONSORT and SPIRIT initiatives. Scientometrics 2023; 128:407-440. [PMID: 36274792 PMCID: PMC9574182 DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04542-z] [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: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Reporting guidelines are tools to help improve the transparency, completeness, and clarity of published articles in health research. Specifically, the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) and SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) statements provide evidence-based guidance on what to include in randomised trial articles and protocols to guarantee the efficacy of interventions. These guidelines are subsequently described and discussed in journal articles and used to produce checklists. Determining the online impact (i.e., number and type of links received) of these articles can provide insights into the dissemination of reporting guidelines in broader environments (web-at-large) than simply that of the scientific publications that cite them. To address the technical limitations of link analysis, here the Debug-Validate-Access-Find (DVAF) method is designed and implemented to measure different facets of the guidelines' online impact. A total of 65 articles related to 38 reporting guidelines are taken as a baseline, providing 240,128 URL citations, which are then refined, analysed, and categorised using the DVAF method. A total of 15,582 links to journal articles related to the CONSORT and SPIRIT initiatives were identified. CONSORT 2010 and SPIRIT 2013 were the reporting guidelines that received most links (URL citations) from other online objects (5328 and 2190, respectively). Overall, the online impact obtained is scattered (URL citations are received by different article URL IDs, mainly from link-based DOIs), narrow (limited number of linking domain names, half of articles are linked from fewer than 29 domain names), concentrated (links come from just a few academic publishers, around 60% from publishers), non-reputed (84% of links come from dubious websites and fake domain names) and highly decayed (89% of linking domain names were not accessible at the time of the analysis). In light of these results, it is concluded that the online impact of these guidelines could be improved, and a set of recommendations are proposed to this end. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11192-022-04542-z.
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Randomised controlled trials in women's health in the last two decades: A meta-review. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2022; 278:11-15. [PMID: 36108449 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Obstetric and gynaecological conditions represent a significant burden of disease, requiring clinical research. We aimed to study trends in the publication of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in women's health over the last two decades. The primary objective was to describe longitudinal trends in the geographical distribution of RCTs in obstetrics and gynaecology. We also described trends in trial funding, publication sources and separately published trial protocols. STUDY DESIGN RCTs were identified by searching the Web of Science alone, due to the large number of results and descriptive nature of analyses. Using the filter tool, only studies labelled as "Clinical trial" or "Article" were included; all other document types were excluded. Trial protocols were identified and analysed separately. Indexing data were extracted using the Web of Science selection tools. As we aimed simply to describe research trends using a single platform, we did not check for duplicates. No process for data pooling was necessary. Correlation of GDP, funding and number of RCTs was calculated using Pearson's r test. RESULTS We identified 39,071 RCTs. The number of annual publications globally increased from 1,406 in 2001 to 1,979 in 2020. The US (n = 12,479) and the UK (n = 3,745) were responsible for the most RCTs, followed by Italy (n = 2,676) and China (n = 2,338). The largest percentage increase in annual publications was seen in Iran (n = 5 to n = 113, +2,160 %) and the Western Pacific Region (n = 16 to n = 171, +968.8 %). GDP was significantly correlated with the number of published RCTs in 2019 for the 25 most prolific countries (p < 0.001), but not with the proportion of RCTs funded. CONCLUSIONS Despite growing contributions from the Western Pacific and Eastern Mediterranean regions, most RCTs are still produced in a small nucleus of high-income countries. Increased international collaboration may benefit both high- and low-income countries.
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Nunan D, Watts I, Kaji FA, Hansjee S, Heneghan C. Adherence in leading medical journals to the CONSORT 2010 statement for reporting of binary outcomes in randomised controlled trials: cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Evid Based Med 2022; 27:120-124. [PMID: 33526448 DOI: 10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Clinicians and lay people tend to overestimate the effectiveness of a treatment when only the relative effect is presented, particularly if the relative effect is large, but the absolute effect is small. In recognition of this problem, item 17b of The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 statement stipulates authors present both absolute and relative effects for binary outcomes in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Adherence to item 17b and the effect of differing levels of CONSORT endorsement by journals on adherence is not well known. We assessed the extent to which item 17b is adhered to in 258 RCTs published in five leading medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine) between January and December 2019 that all endorsed the CONSORT statement to varying degrees. Only 53 of 258 (20.5%; 95% CI 15.8% to 26.0%) included studies adhered fully to item 17b. Proportional adherence was higher in journals that endorsed the statement more strictly (BMJ and JAMA, 47.4% [34.0% to 61.0%]) compared with journals less strict in their endorsement (NEJM and Ann Intern Med, 12.2% [7.0% to 19.3%]; The Lancet, 14.1% [7.3% to 23.8%]). Journals that only recommend author adherence to CONSORT had a greater proportion of studies reporting only relative effects in the main results section (62.6%) and abstract (64.2%) compared with journals that require authors to submit a completed checklist (24.6% and 29.8%, respectively). The majority of RCTs (79.5%) with binary primary outcomes published in five leading medical journals during 2019 do not report both absolute and relative effect estimates as per item 17b of the CONSORT guideline despite its universal endorsement. Differences in adherence were observed between journals that endorsed the CONSORT statement to differing extents.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nunan
- Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Isabella Watts
- Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Shanil Hansjee
- Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Carl Heneghan
- Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Romero-Garcia CS, Romero E, Maimieri N, Popp M, Marchetti C, Lombardi G, Ortalda A, Zangrillo A, Landoni G. Four Decades of Randomized Clinical Trials Influencing Mortality in Critically Ill and Perioperative Patients. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2022; 36:3327-3333. [DOI: 10.1053/j.jvca.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Lockwood I, Walker RM, Latimer S, Chaboyer W, Cooke M, Gillespie BM. Process evaluations undertaken alongside randomised controlled trials in the hospital setting: A scoping review. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2022; 26:100894. [PMID: 36684693 PMCID: PMC9846456 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2022.100894] [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: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background There is increasing recognition of the importance of undertaking process evaluations alongside implementation of health interventions by examining mechanisms of impact and contextual factors. However, a comprehensive synthesis of process evaluations undertaken alongside clinical trials in hospital settings is lacking. We undertook a scoping review to address this gap. Methods This review was guided by the methodological framework for scoping studies. Studies were identified using four databases; Ovid Medline, EBSCO CINAHL, EMBASE and Scopus. Two authors independently screened all titles and available abstracts, with a third author available to adjudicate. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they described a process evaluation undertaken alongside a randomised controlled trial in the hospital setting. Data were abstracted by one author and checked by two others and analysed both descriptively and using inductive content analysis. Results Data were extracted from 30 articles reporting on 15 trials, most of which were cluster randomised trials (c-RTs) (n = 12). The most common data collection methods used in process evaluations were interviews, questionnaires or surveys, and records or logs. Data analysis revealed three themes relative to how authors: use process data to interpret, understand and explain trial outcomes; evaluate responses to the intervention; and consider the implementation context. Conclusions Findings from this review demonstrate the complex nature of intervention implementation in the hospital setting. Overall, there is need for standardised reporting of process evaluations and more explicit descriptions of how authors use frameworks to guide their evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishtar Lockwood
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Rachel M. Walker
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia,Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sharon Latimer
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia,Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia,Corresponding author. Building L05, Room 3.44, Griffith University, Logan, Queensland, 4131, Australia.
| | - Wendy Chaboyer
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Marie Cooke
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Brigid M. Gillespie
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Australia,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia,Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia
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17
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Endodontic Microbiology: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 50 Classics. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:6657167. [PMID: 34746305 PMCID: PMC8570872 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6657167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Citation analysis has emerged to play a significant role in recognition of the most useful areas of research. Endodontic microbiology has been a topic of interest for endodontists as well as periodontists and oral surgeons. This bibliometric analysis is aimed at identifying and reporting the characteristics of the top 50 cited articles on endodontic microbiology. Methods The articles were identified through a search on Web of Science (WoS), property of Clarivate Analytics database published on endodontic microbiology. The citation information of the selected articles was recorded. The Journal of Endodontics, International Endodontic Journal, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology and Endodontology, Dental Traumatology, and Australian Endodontic Journal were searched in the search title. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using a statistical software package SPSS. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, Post hoc, Mann-Kendall trend, and Spearman-rank tests. Results The 50 most cited articles were published from 1965 to 2012 with citation count varying from 1065 to 103 times. The total citation counts of articles recorded were 11,525 (WoS), 12,602 (Elseviers' Scopus), and 28,871 (Google Scholar). The most prolific years in terms of publications were 2001, 2002, and 2003, with five publications each, followed by 2005 with four. The year with most citations was 1998, with 1,330 citations, followed by 1965 and 2001, with 1,065 and 1,015 citations, respectively. A total of 136 authors contributed to the top 50 most cited articles with 27 corresponding institutions from 12 different countries. The most common methodological design was in vitro study, followed by clinic-laboratory study, literature review, systematic review and meta-analysis, and animal study. Conclusions The present study provided a detailed list of the top 50 most cited and classic articles on microbiology in endodontics. This will help researchers, students, and clinicians in the field of endodontics as an impressive source of information.
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Doulaveris G, Vani K, Saccone G, Chauhan SP, Berghella V. Number and quality of randomized controlled trials in obstetrics published in the top general medical and obstetrics and gynecology journals. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2021; 4:100509. [PMID: 34656731 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2021.100509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been an increasing number of randomized controlled trials published in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine to reduce biases of treatment effect and to provide insights on the cause-effect of the relationship between treatment and outcomes. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify obstetrical randomized controlled trials published in top weekly general medical journals and monthly obstetrics and gynecology journals, to assess their quality in reporting and identify factors associated with publication in different journals. STUDY DESIGN The 4 weekly medical journals with the highest 2019 impact factor (New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and British Medical Journal), the top 4 monthly obstetrics and gynecology journals with obstetrics-related research (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology), and the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine were searched for obstetrical randomized controlled trials in the years 2018 to 2020. The primary outcome was the number of obstetrical randomized controlled trials published in the obstetrics and gynecology journals vs the weekly medical journals and the percentage of trials published, overall and per journal. The secondary outcomes included the proportion of positive vs negative trials overall and per journal and the assessment of the study characteristics of published trials, including quality assessment criteria. RESULTS Of the 4024 original research articles published in the 9 journals during the 3-year study period, 1221 (30.3%) were randomized controlled trials, with 137 (11.2%) randomized controlled trials being in obstetrics (46 in 2018, 47 in 2019, and 44 studies in 2020). Furthermore, 33 (24.1%) were published in weekly medical journals, and 104 (75.9%) were published in obstetrics and gynecology journals. The percentage of obstetrical randomized controlled trials published ranged from 1.5% to 9.6% per journal. Overall, 34.3% of obstetrical trials were statistically significant or "positive" for the primary outcome. Notably, 24.8% of the trials were retrospectively registered after the enrollment of the first study patient. Trials published in the 4 weekly medical journals enrolled significantly more patients (1801 vs 180; P<.001), received more often funding from the federal government (78.8% vs 35.6%; P<.001), and were more likely to be multicenter (90.9% vs 42.3%; P<.001), non-United States based (69.7% vs 49.0%; P=.03), and double blinded (45.5% vs 18.3%; P=.003) than trials published in the obstetrics and gynecology journals. There was no difference in study type (noninferiority vs superiority) and trial quality characteristics, including pretrial registration, ethics approval statement, informed consent statement, and adherence to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines statement between studies published in weekly medical journals and studies published in obstetrics and gynecology journals. CONCLUSION Approximately 45 trials in obstetrics are being published every year in the highest impact journals, with one-fourth being in the weekly medical journals and the remainder in the obstetrics and gynecology journals. Only about a third of published obstetrical trials are positive. Trials published in weekly medical journals are larger, more likely to be funded by the government, multicenter, international, and double blinded. Quality metrics are similar between weekly medical journals and obstetrics and gynecology journals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Doulaveris
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (Drs Doulaveris and Vani).
| | - Kavita Vani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (Drs Doulaveris and Vani)
| | - Gabriele Saccone
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences, and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy (Dr Saccone)
| | - Suneet P Chauhan
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX (Dr Chauhan)
| | - Vincenzo Berghella
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (Dr Berghella)
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Nicholls SG, Carroll K, Hey SP, Zwarenstein M, Zhang JZ, Nix HP, Brehaut JC, McKenzie JE, McDonald S, Weijer C, Fergusson DA, Taljaard M. A review of pragmatic trials found a high degree of diversity in design and scope, deficiencies in reporting and trial registry data, and poor indexing. J Clin Epidemiol 2021; 137:45-57. [PMID: 33789151 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We established a large database of trials to serve as a resource for future methodological and ethical analyses. Here, we use meta-data to describe the broad landscape of pragmatic trials including research areas, identification as pragmatic, quality of trial registry data and enrolment. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Trials were identified by a validated search filter and included if a primary report of a health-related randomized trial published January 2014-April 2019. Data were collated from MEDLINE, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and full text. RESULTS 4337 eligible trials were identified from 13,065 records, of which 1988 were registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Research areas were diverse, with the most common being general and internal medicine; public, environmental and occupational health; and health care sciences and services. The term "pragmatic" was seldom used in titles or abstracts. Several domains in ClinicalTrials.gov had questionable data quality. We estimated that one-fifth of trials under-accrued by at least 15%. CONCLUSION There is a need to improve reporting of pragmatic trials and quality of trial registry data. Under accrual remains a challenge in pragmatic RCTs despite calls for more streamlined recruitment approaches. The diversity of pragmatic trials should be reflected in future ethical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart G Nicholls
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI).
| | - Kelly Carroll
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
| | | | - Merrick Zwarenstein
- Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; Department of Family Medicine, Western University, London, Canada; Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Jennifer Zhe Zhang
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Hayden P Nix
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Jamie C Brehaut
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Joanne E McKenzie
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Steve McDonald
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Charles Weijer
- Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Canada; Department of Philosophy, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Dean A Fergusson
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Monica Taljaard
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI); School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
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Defining Common Features in High Impact and Highly Cited Journal Articles on Pancreatic Tumors: An Analysis of 1044 Studies over the Past Decade. Ann Surg 2020; 274:977-984. [PMID: 33351479 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000004670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Surgical researchers seek to publish their findings in esteemed surgical journals to advance science and their careers. A detailed investigation of study and manuscript attributes in a specific research area, like pancreatic neoplasia, may yield informative insights for researchers looking to maximize research impact. OBJECTIVES We analyzed publications related to pancreatic surgery primarily focused on pancreatic and periampullary tumors in order to identify elements associated with acceptance into high impact journals and a high likelihood of future citations. METHODS A comprehensive review of nine surgical journals was performed between 2010-19. Journals were grouped based on impact factor into high (>3), medium (1-3) and low (<1) impact categories. Each publication was annotated to identify study topic, methodology and statistical approach. Findings were compared according to journal impact and number of citations to identify predictors of success across these two domains. RESULTS A total of 1,044 out of 21,536 (4.8%) articles published in the index journals were related to pancreatic tumors. The most common focus of study was perioperative outcomes and complications (46.7%). There was significantly more number of authors, participating institutions, countries, and randomized clinical trials in higher impact journals as well as high-cited articles (p<0.05). Though advanced statistical analysis was used more commonly in high-impact journals (p<0.05), it did not translate to higher citations (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Pancreatic neoplasia continues to be extensively studied in surgical literature. Specific elements of study methodology and design were identified as potentially key attributes to acceptance in high impact journals and citation success.
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