Reporting of and explanations for under-recruitment and over-recruitment in pragmatic trials: a secondary analysis of a database of primary trial reports published from 2014 to 2019.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To describe the extent to which pragmatic trials underachieved or overachieved their target sample sizes, examine explanations and identify characteristics associated with under-recruitment and over-recruitment.

Study design and setting

Secondary analysis of an existing database of primary trial reports published during 2014-2019, registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, self-labelled as pragmatic and with target and achieved sample sizes available.

Results

Of 372 eligible trials, the prevalence of under-recruitment (achieving <90% of target sample size) was 71 (19.1%) and of over-recruitment (>110% of target) was 87 (23.4%). Under-recruiting trials commonly acknowledged that they did not achieve their targets (51, 71.8%), with the majority providing an explanatio

SUBMITTER: Nevins P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9743401 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature