Evidence map›Paper›PMID 10356018›Full record

ReviewBMJ (Clinical research ed.)1999

Numbers needed to treat derived from meta-analyses--sometimes informative, usually misleading.

L Smeeth, A Haines, S Ebrahim

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 1999. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 37 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 37 pooled it
–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

69 citing papers in PubMed, 37 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  4. Botulinum toxin type A versus anticholinergics for cervical dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Botulinum toxin type A therapy for hemifacial spasm.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  7. Botulinum toxin type A therapy for blepharospasm.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  8. Botulinum toxin type A therapy for cervical dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Deep brain stimulation for dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
    Pooled it
  11. Pooled it
  12. Pooled it
  13. Botulinum toxin type A therapy for cervical dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
    Pooled it
  14. Botulinum toxin type A versus botulinum toxin type B for cervical dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  15. Pooled it
  16. Botulinum toxin type B for cervical dystonia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  17. Pooled it
  18. Pooled it
  19. Pooled it
  20. Pooled it

9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

L SmeethDepartment of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, London NW3 2PF.
A Haines
S Ebrahim

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

PubMed holds no abstract for this paper.

Indexed as

Clinical Trials as TopicMeta-Analysis as TopicSample SizeData Interpretation, StatisticalHumansOutcome Assessment, Health Care

Identifiers

PMID10356018
PMCPMC1115910

What OpenQuestion 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 OpenQuestion graph.