ArticlePilot and feasibility studies2026
Spin reporting is common in pilot and feasibility trials in hip and knee arthroplasty: a methodological analysis of a cross-sectional sample.
Article in Pilot and feasibility studies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPilot and feasibility trials help identify methodological and logistical challenges. However, biased reporting, known as "spin," may distort overall study findings and mislead readers, presenting content through a subjective lens. Accurate assessments of feasibility are critical in orthopedic research, where the continued popularity of procedures such as hip and knee arthroplasties emphasizes a need for rapid advancement through research and development. The prevalence of spin practices among pilot and feasibility trials in hip and knee arthroplasties remains unclear. To evaluate the prevalence of spin reporting practices in pilot and feasibility trials focused on hip and knee arthroplasty. The secondary objective is to identify factors associated with the level of spin featured in the analyzed manuscripts.
methodsA search of PubMed identified 147 trials published between 2017 and 2023, selected using stratified random sampling. Studies were screened for the presence of three spin criteria defined in previous literature, and summarized descriptively.
resultsSpin appeared in 88.4% of studies (95% CI 83.3-93.6). Emphasis on intervention effectiveness (81.6%) and statistical significance rather than feasibility (60.5%) were the most common types. Spin was frequent in abstracts (78.9%) and discussions (79.6%), with the highest rates also observed in privately funded (95.7%) and pharmacologic (100%) studies. No clear trend was observed over time.
conclusionsSpin is widespread in pilot and feasibility trials involving hip and knee arthroplasty, particularly in abstracts and discussions. Greater adherence to reporting guidelines and explicit communication of feasibility objectives and study limitations are necessary to improve transparency and reduce interpretive bias in this field.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.