Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38420923›Full record

ArticleClinical trials (London, England)2024

Assessing the impact of risk-based data monitoring on outcomes for a paediatric multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Renate Le Marsney, Kerry Johnson, Jenipher Chumbes Flores, Shelley Coetzer, Jennifer Darvas, Carmel Delzoppo, Arielle Jolly, Kate Masterson, Claire Sherring, Hannah Thomson and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical trials (London, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Paediatric Study Group (ANZICS PSG): 20 Years of Collaborative Research.Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies · 2025
    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

13 authors.

Renate Le MarsneyChildren's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Kerry JohnsonChildren's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6022-1065
Jenipher Chumbes FloresPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
Shelley CoetzerPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Starship Child Health, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jennifer DarvasPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Carmel DelzoppoPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Arielle JollyPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
Kate MastersonPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8323-1215
Claire SherringPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Starship Child Health, Auckland, New Zealand.
Hannah ThomsonPaediatric Intensive Care Unit, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
Endrias ErgetuChildren's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Patricia GilholmChildren's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Kristen S GibbonsChildren's Intensive Care Research Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5679-0932

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

aimsRegulatory guidelines recommend that sponsors develop a risk-based approach to monitoring clinical trials. However, there is a lack of evidence to guide the effective implementation of monitoring activities encompassed in this approach. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency and impact of the risk-based monitoring approach used for a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing treatments in paediatric patients undergoing cardiac bypass surgery.

methodsThis is a secondary analysis of data from a randomised controlled trial that implemented targeted source data verification as part of the risk-based monitoring approach. Monitoring duration and source to database error rates were calculated across the monitored trial dataset. The monitored and unmonitored trial dataset, and simulated trial datasets with differing degrees of source data verification and cohort sizes were compared for their effect on trial outcomes.

resultsIn total, 106,749 critical data points across 1,282 participants were verified from source data either remotely or on-site during the trial. The total time spent monitoring was 365 hours, with a median (interquartile range) of 10 (7, 16) minutes per participant. An overall source to database error rate of 3.1% was found, and this did not differ between treatment groups. A low rate of error was found for all outcomes undergoing 100% source data verification, with the exception of two secondary outcomes with error rates >10%. Minimal variation in trial outcomes were found between the unmonitored and monitored datasets. Reduced degrees of source data verification and reduced cohort sizes assessed using simulated trial datasets had minimal impact on trial outcomes.

conclusionsTargeted source data verification of data critical to trial outcomes, which carried with it a substantial time investment, did not have an impact on study outcomes in this trial. This evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of targeted source data verification contributes to the evidence-base regarding the context where reduced emphasis should be placed on source data verification as the foremost monitoring activity.

Indexed as

Research DesignChildClinical Trials Data Monitoring CommitteesDatabases, FactualHumansMulticenter Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk AssessmentClinical trialdata qualitymonitoringquality assurancerisk-based monitoringsource data verificationtargeted monitoring

Identifiers

PMID38420923
PMCPMC11304638

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.