Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34274489›Full record

SynthesisJournal of clinical epidemiology2021

Clinical trials in COVID-19 management & prevention: A meta-epidemiological study examining methodological quality.

Kimia Honarmand, Jeremy Penn, Arnav Agarwal, Reed Siemieniuk, Romina Brignardello-Petersen, Jessica J Bartoszko, Dena Zeraatkar, Thomas Agoritsas, Karen Burns, Shannon M Fernando and 9 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of clinical epidemiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 12 institutions in 6 countries.

Kimia HonarmandDivision of Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada. Electronic address: kimia.honarmand@medportal.ca.
Jeremy PennFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Arnav AgarwalDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada.
Reed SiemieniukDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Romina Brignardello-PetersenDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Jessica J BartoszkoDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Dena ZeraatkarDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Thomas AgoritsasDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada; Division General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
Karen BurnsDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada; Unity Health Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond St, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada.
Shannon M FernandoDivision of Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Ave. E, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada.
Farid ForoutanTed Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada.
Long GeEvidence Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, 222 Tianshui S Rd, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Francois LamontagneDepartment of Medicine and Centre de recherche du CHU de Sherbrooke, 12e Avenue N Porte 6, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5N4, Canada.
Mario A Jimenez-MoraSchool of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1 #18a-12, Bogotá D.C, Colombia.
Srinivas MurthyDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Juan Jose Yepes-NuñezSchool of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Cra. 1 #18a-12, Bogotá D.C, Colombia; Pulmonology Service, Internal Medicine Section, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá University Hospital, Cra. 7b (#)12390, Bogotá D.C, Colombia.
Per O VandvikDepartment of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Problemveien 7, 0315, Oslo, Norway.
Zhikang YeDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Bram RochwergDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Impact · CAMcMaster University · CAUniversidad de Los Andes · COCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke · CALanzhou University · CNSt. Michael's Hospital · CATed Rogers Centre for Heart Research · CAUniversity Hospital of Geneva · CHUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Oslo · NOWestern University · CAWilfrid Laurier University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo describe the characteristics of Covid-19 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and examine the association between trial characteristics and the likelihood of finding a significant effect. STUDY

designWe conducted a systematic review to identify RCTs (up to October 21, 2020) evaluating drugs or blood products to treat or prevent Covid-19. We extracted trial characteristics (number of centers, funding sources, and sample size) and assessed risk of bias (RoB) using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. We performed logistic regressions to evaluate the association between RoB due to randomization, single vs. multicentre, funding source, and sample size, and finding a statistically significant effect.

resultsWe included 91 RCTs (n = 46,802); 40 (44%) were single-center, 23 (25.3%) enrolled <50 patients, 28 (30.8%) received industry funding, and 75 (82.4%) had high or probably high RoB. Thirty-eight trials (41.8%) reported a statistically significant effect. RoB due to randomization and being a single-center trial were associated with increased odds of finding a statistically significant effect.

conclusionsThere is high variability in RoB among Covid-19 trials. Researchers, funders, and knowledge-users should be cognizant of the impact of RoB due to randomization and single-center trial status in designing, evaluating, and interpreting the results of RCTs. REGISTRATION: CRD42020192095.

Indexed as

COVID-19Epidemiologic StudiesHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch DesignClinical trials, Randomized controlled trialsCovid-19Meta-epidemiologyMethodological qualityRisk of biasSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID34274489
PMCPMC8280397
OpenAlexW3181906237

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.