TIDieR-Placebo: A guide and checklist for reporting placebo and sham controls.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Placebo or sham controls are the standard against which the benefits and harms of many active interventions are measured. Whilst the components and the method of their delivery have been shown to affect study outcomes, placebo and sham controls are rarely reported and often not matched to those of the active comparator. This can influence how beneficial or harmful the active intervention appears to be. Without adequate descriptions of placebo or sham controls, it is difficult to interpret results about the benefits and harms of active interventions within placebo-controlled trials. To overcome this problem, we developed a checklist and guide for reporting placebo or sham interventions.

Methods and findings

We developed an initial list of items for the checklist by

SUBMITTER: Howick J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7505446 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature