Abstracts for reports of randomised trials of COVID-19 interventions had low quality and high spin.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To assess the reporting quality of abstracts for published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the use of spin strategies and the level of spin for RCTs with statistically non-significant primary outcomes, and to explore potential predictors for reporting quality and the severity of spin.

Study design and setting

PubMed was searched to find RCTs that tested interventions for COVID-19, and the reporting quality and spin in the abstracts were assessed. Linear regression analyses were used to identify potential predictors.

Results

Forty RCT abstracts were included in our assessment of reporting quality, and a higher word count in the abstract was significantly correlated with higher reporting

SUBMITTER: Wang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8253697 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature