Dataset Information

Clinical trials registries are underused in the pregnancy and childbirth literature: a systematic review of the top 20 journals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that do not include unpublished data in their analyses may be prone to publication bias, which in some cases has been shown to have deleterious consequences on determining the efficacy of interventions.

Methods

We retrieved systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in the past 8 years (January 1, 2007-December 31, 2015) from the top 20 journals in the Pregnancy and Childbirth literature, as rated by Google Scholar's h5-index. A meta-epidemiologic analysis was performed to determine the frequency with which authors searched clinical trials registries for unpublished data.

Results

A PubMed search retrieved 372 citations, 297 of which were deemed to be either a systematic review or a meta-analysis and were included for analysis. Twelve (4 %) of these searched at least one WHO-approved clinical trials registry or clinicaltrials.gov.

Conclusion

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in pregnancy and childbirth journals do not routinely report searches of clinical trials registries. Including these registries in systematic reviews may be a promising avenue to limit publication bias if registry searches locate unpublished trial data that could be used in the systematic review.

SUBMITTER: Yerokhin VV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5073738 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Clinical trials registries are underused in the pregnancy and childbirth literature: a systematic review of the top 20 journals.

Yerokhin Vadim V VV Carr Branden K BK Sneed Guy G Vassar Matt M

BMC research notes 20161021 1

<h4>Background</h4>Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that do not include unpublished data in their analyses may be prone to publication bias, which in some cases has been shown to have deleterious consequences on determining the efficacy of interventions.<h4>Methods</h4>We retrieved systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in the past 8 years (January 1, 2007-December 31, 2015) from the top 20 journals in the Pregnancy and Childbirth literature, as rated by Google Scholar's h5-index. A ...[more]

PMID: 27769265

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionPatient registries, 'organised systems that use observational methods to collect uniform data on a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that is followed over time', are potentially valuable sources of data for supporting regulatory decision-making, especially for products to treat rare diseases. Nevertheless, patient registries are greatly underused in regulatory assessments. Reasons include heterogeneity in registry design and in the data collected, even across registries for the same disease, as well as unreliable data quality and data sharing impediments. The Patient Registries Initiative was established by the European Medicines Agency in 2015 to support registries in collecting data suitable to contribute to regulatory assessments, especially post-authorisation safety and effectiveness studies.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative synthesis of the published observations and recommendations from an initiative-led multi-stakeholder consultation and four disease-specific patient registry workshops. We identified the primary factors facilitating the use of registry data in regulatory assessments. We generated proposals on operational measures needed from stakeholders including registry holders, patients, healthcare professionals, regulators, marketing authorisation applicants and holders, and health technology assessment bodies for implementing these.ResultsTen factors were identified as facilitating registry use for supporting regulatory assessments of medicinal products. Proposals on operational measures needed for implementation were categorised according to three themes: (1) nature of the data collected and registry quality assurance processes; (2) registry governance, informed consent, data protection and sharing; and (3) stakeholder communication and planning of benefit-risk assessments.ConclusionsThese are the first explicit proposals, from a regulatory perspective, on operational methods for increasing the use of patient registries in medicines regulation. They apply to registry holders, patients, regulators, marketing authorisation holders/applicants and healthcare stakeholders broadly, and their implementation would greatly facilitate the use of these valuable data sources in regulatory decision-making.

Project description:BackgroundFor every maternal death, 20 to 30 women are estimated to have morbidities related to pregnancy or childbirth. Much of this burden of disease is in women in low- and middle-income countries. Maternal multimorbidity can include physical, psychological and social ill-health. Limited data exist about the associations between these morbidities. In order to address all health needs that women may have when attending for maternity care, it is important to be able to identify all types of morbidities and understand how each morbidity influences other aspects of women's health and wellbeing during pregnancy and after childbirth.MethodsWe systematically reviewed published literature in English, describing measurement of two or more types of maternal morbidity and/or associations between morbidities during pregnancy or after childbirth for women in low- and middle-income countries. CINAHL plus, Global Health, Medline and Web of Science databases were searched from 2007 to 2018. Outcomes were descriptions, occurrence of all maternal morbidities and associations between these morbidities. Narrative analysis was conducted.ResultsIncluded were 38 papers reporting about 36 studies (71,229 women; 60,911 during pregnancy and 10,318 after childbirth in 17 countries). Most studies (26/36) were cross-sectional surveys. Self-reported physical ill-health was documented in 26 studies, but no standardised data collection tools were used. In total, physical morbidities were included in 28 studies, psychological morbidities in 32 studies and social morbidities in 27 studies with three studies assessing associations between all three types of morbidity and 30 studies assessing associations between two types of morbidity. In four studies, clinical examination and/or basic laboratory investigations were also conducted. Associations between physical and psychological morbidities were reported in four studies and between psychological and social morbidities in six. Domestic violence increased risks of physical ill-health in two studies.ConclusionsThere is a lack of standardised, comprehensive and routine measurements and tools to assess the burden of maternal multimorbidity in women during pregnancy and after childbirth. Emerging data suggest significant associations between the different types of morbidity.Systematic review registration numberPROSPERO CRD42018079526.

Project description:BackgroundRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) are crucial in comparative research, and a careful approach to randomization methodology helps minimize bias. However, confounding variables like socioeconomic status (SES) and race are often underreported in orthopaedic RCTs, potentially affecting the generalizability of results. This study aimed to analyze the reporting trends of SES and race in RCTs pertaining to Achilles tendon pathology, considering 4 decades of data from top-tier orthopaedic journals.MethodsThis review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and used PubMed to search 10 high-impact factor orthopaedic journals for RCTs related to the management of Achilles tendon pathology. The search encompassed all articles from the inception of each journal until July 11, 2023. Data extraction included year of publication, study type, reporting of SES and race, primary study location, and intervention details.ResultsOf the 88 RCTs identified, 68 met the inclusion criteria. Based on decade of publication, 6 articles (8.8%) reported on SES, whereas only 2 articles (2.9%) reported on race. No RCTs reported SES in the pre-1999 period, but the frequency of reporting increased in subsequent decades. Meanwhile, all RCTs reporting race were published in the current decade (2020-2030), with a frequency of 20%. When considering the study location, RCTs conducted outside the United States were more likely to report SES compared with those within the USA.ConclusionThis review revealed a concerning underreporting of SES and race in Achilles tendon pathology RCTs. The reporting percentage remains low for both SES and race, indicating a need for comprehensive reporting practices in orthopaedic research. Understanding the impact of SES and race on treatment outcomes is critical for informed clinical decision making and ensuring equitable patient care. Future studies should prioritize the inclusion of these variables to enhance the generalizability and validity of RCT results.

Project description:BackgroundMedical journals use Twitter to engage and disseminate their research articles and implement a range of strategies to maximize reach and impact.ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically review the literature to synthesize and describe the different Twitter strategies used by medical journals and their effectiveness on journal impact and readership metrics.MethodsA systematic search of the literature before February 2020 in four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) was conducted. Articles were reviewed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines.ResultsThe search identified 44 original research studies that evaluated Twitter strategies implemented by medical journals and analyzed the relationship between Twitter metrics and alternative and citation-based metrics. The key findings suggest that promoting publications on Twitter improves citation-based and alternative metrics for academic medical journals. Moreover, implementing different Twitter strategies maximizes the amount of attention that publications and journals receive. The four key Twitter strategies implemented by many medical journals are tweeting the title and link of the article, infographics, podcasts, and hosting monthly internet-based journal clubs. Each strategy was successful in promoting the publications. However, different metrics were used to measure success.ConclusionsFour key Twitter strategies are implemented by medical journals: tweeting the title and link of the article, infographics, podcasts, and hosting monthly internet-based journal clubs. In this review, each strategy was successful in promoting publications but used different metrics to measure success. Thus, it is difficult to conclude which strategy is most effective. In addition, the four strategies have different costs and effects on dissemination and readership. We recommend that journals and researchers incorporate a combination of Twitter strategies to maximize research impact and capture audiences with a variety of learning methods.

Dataset Information

Clinical trials registries are underused in the pregnancy and childbirth literature: a systematic review of the top 20 journals.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Clinical trials registries are underused in the pregnancy and childbirth literature: a systematic review of the top 20 journals.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets