Assessment of the methodological quality of reporting of randomized in four Iranian healthcare journals

To assess the quality of reporting randomized trials in four Iranian healthcare journals. Iran. Short survey. Four Iranian healthcare journals were handsearched for reports of randomized controlled trials classified using The Cochrane Collaboration eligibility criteria for studies for inclusion in systematic reviews. Quality of reporting of the trials was assessed independently by two authors [MN, AA] for four dimensions: randomized sequence generation, allocation sequence concealment, blinding of outcome assessment and intention to treat analysis. Any disagreements were resolved through discussion with a third author [ZF]. In total, reports of 75 randomized controlled trials reported in the four Iranian healthcare journals were assessed. Blinding was the best reported dimension [32%, 24/75] and intention to treat analysis the least [0% 0/75]. Sequence generation and allocation sequence concealment were infrequently reported [12%, 9/75 and 3%, 2/75 respectively]. There is room for improving the reporting of randomized trials in four Iranian healthcare journals. Authors and editors should be encouraged to follow guidance in the CONSORT Statement for improving the quality of reporting of parallel-group randomized trials [RCTs] and in the recent extension to CONSORT for reporting RCTs in abstracts in journals and conference proceedings

Identifying search terms likely to retrieve reports of randomized trials in Iranmedex - a polit project

Recent studies have led to improvements in the international coverage of reports of randomized controlled trials retrieved from electronic databases in developing countries. The objective of this study was to identify search terms likely to retrieve reports of randomized controlled trials in Iranmedex which could ultimately be developed into a sensitive search strategy for this database. The objective of this study was to identify a set of terms likely to retrieve reports of randomized controlled trials in Iranmedex, an Iranian healthcare database. We handsearched seven Iranian healthcare journals to identify reports of randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and quasi-randomized trials [CCTs] and examined the reports in three of these journals for study design terms and selected those occurring most frequently to compile an initial set of search terms. We then used these terms to search Iranmedex for reports of trials in the remaining four journals plus the initial three from which the search terms were derived and compared results with our original handsearch of these journals. The electronic records of any reports of trials missed by this initial set of terms were examined for additional relevant search terms which might improve retrieval. In the first set of journals handsearched we identified six study design terms which occurred most frequently in the relevant studies: clinical trial, double blind, randomly, prospective, placebo. Improvements to the initial set of search terms could be made by adding the study design term ['cross over']. Electronic searches would be more efficient and effective if authors and editors were consistently to abide by the guidance provided in The CONSORT Statement. The possibility for researchers to search the full text electronically in Iranmedex would greatly improve retrieval as relevant study design terms were frequently only to be found in the full text of many of the journals indexed in Iranmedex

handsearching of 2 medical journals of Bahrain for reports of randomized controlled trials

To identify reports of randomized trials by handsearching 2 Bahrain medical journals, which are indexed in the biomedical database EMBASE and to determine any added value of the handsearching by comparing the reports found by handsearching with what would have been found by searching EMBASE to examine [i] the precision and sensitivity of the EMBASE index term Randomized Controlled Trial [RCT] and [ii] The Cochrane Collaboration's systematic electronic search of EMBASE [which uses 4 index terms and 9 free-text terms]. All issues of the Bahrain Medical Bulletin [BMB] [1979-2004] and the Journal of the Bahrain Medical Society [JBMS] [1989-2004] were handsearched in February 2005 for reports of RCTs or Controlled Clinical Trials [CCTs] according to Cochrane eligibility criteria. Out of 395 articles in BMB we found reports of 12 RCTs and 4 CCTs. Distribution by country of corresponding author: Jordan [4 RCTs, one CCT], Bahrain [one RCT, one CCT], India [3 RCTs, one CCT], Kuwait [one CCT], Saudi Arabia [2 RCTs], USA/Bahrain [one RCT], and Oman [one RCT]; and by specialty: Anesthesia [8], Surgery [1] Pediatrics [1], Radiotherapy [1], Community Medicine [1], Sports Medicine [1], Obstetrics/Gynecology [3]. The Journal of the Bahrain Medical Society included reports of 14 RCTs and 3 CCTs, out of 97 articles. Distribution by country of corresponding author: Jordan [9 RCTs, 2 CCTs], Bahrain [3 RCTs], Egypt [one RCT], Kuwait [one RCT], and Saudi Arabia [one RCT]; and by specialty: Anesthesia [7], General Surgery [3], Obstetrics/Gynecology [1], Radiotherapy [1], Pediatrics [1], Orthopaedic Surgery [1], Education [1] Ear Nose and Throat [1] Ophthalmology [1]. Overall, of the 33 reports of trials found by handsearching I both journals, only 23 were included in EMBASE of 1 which only 6 had been indexed with the term RCT. Off the 23 reports of trials included in EMBASE, 16 had been identified in the Collaboration's systematic search of EMBASE. Two reports of trials could have been retrieved by this search but there was insufficient information in the title and abstract to code these as trials. The EMBASE records for the remaining 5 reports of trials did not contain terms currently used by The Cochrane Collaboration to identify reports of randomized trials in this database. The handsearching of these journals will help minimize publication bias by locating randomized trials not previously identified and, through their inclusion in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials [CENTRAL] in The Cochrane Library, will ensure reports of randomized trials will not remain 'buried' through indexing bias