Trial reportThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2007
Influence of magnetic resonance of the knee on GPs' decisions: a randomised trial.
Trial report in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis features on magnetic resonance imaging in asymptomatic uninjured adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Musculoskeletal care pathways for adults with hip and knee pain referred for specialist opinion: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- The effect of waiting times from general practitioner referral to MRI or orthopaedic consultation for the knee on patient-based outcomes.The British journal of radiology · 2012Trial
- Participants' preference for type of leaflet used to feed back the results of a randomised trial: a survey.Trials · 2010Trial
- Effectiveness of GP access to magnetic resonance imaging of the knee: a randomised trial.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2008Trial
- MRI use leading up to total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2024Article
- Unintended consequences: quantifying the benefits, iatrogenic harms and downstream cascade costs of musculoskeletal MRI in UK primary care.BMJ open quality · 2021Article
- Prevalence of abnormal findings in 230 knees of asymptomatic adults using 3.0 T MRI.Skeletal radiology · 2020Article
- Supplementing gatekeeping with a revenue scheme for secondary care providers.International journal of health economics and management · 2016Article
- Evidence-based radiology: why and how?European radiology · 2010Article
- Magnetic resonance and GPs decisions.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2008Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee for meniscus and ligament injuries is an accurate diagnostic test. Early and accurate diagnosis of patients with knee problems may prevent the onset of chronic problems such as osteoarthritis, a common cause of disability in older people consulting their GP.
aimTo assess the effect of early access to MRI, compared with referral to an orthopaedic specialist, on GPs' diagnoses and treatment plans for patients with knee problems. DESIGN OF STUDY: A multi-centre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial.
settingFive hundred and fifty-three patients with knee problems were recruited from 163 general practices across the UK from November 2002 to October 2004.
methodEligible patients were randomised to MRI or consultation with an orthopaedic specialist. GPs made a concomitant provisional referral to orthopaedics for patients who were allocated to imaging. GPs recorded patients' diagnoses, treatment plans, and their confidence in these decisions at trial entry and follow-up. Data were analysed as intention to treat.
resultsThere was no significant difference between MRI and orthopaedic groups for changes in diagnosis (P = 0.79) or treatment plans (P = 0.059). Significant changes in diagnostic and therapeutic confidence were observed for both groups with a greater increase in diagnostic confidence (P<0.001) and therapeutic confidence (P = 0.002) in the MRI group. There was a significant increase in within-group changes in diagnostic and therapeutic confidence.
conclusionAccess to MRI did not significantly alter GPs' diagnoses or treatment plans compared with direct referral to an orthopaedic specialist, but access to MRI significantly increased their confidence in these decisions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
17688756PMC2099667What OpenQuestion 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 OpenQuestion graph.