Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19200379›Full record

ArticleTrials2009

The challenges faced in the design, conduct and analysis of surgical randomised controlled trials.

Jonathan A Cook

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05865964 (Evaluation of Anthropological, Socio-cultural and Psychological Factors of Surgeons Practising in Oncology Which Condition Brakes in the Evaluation of Surgical Innovations), which is not on this map. Cited by 116 papers, 17 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
116citing papers in PubMed, 17 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.

NCT05865964 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Evaluation of Anthropological, Socio-cultural and Psychological Factors of Surgeons Practising in Oncology Which Condition Brakes in the Evaluation of Surgical Innovations

TypeobservationalSponsorInstitut Claudius RegaudRan2022 to 2025Enrolled200ConditionsSurgery
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

116 citing papers in PubMed, 17 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  17. Expertise-based design in surgical trials: a narrative review.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
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  20. Lung volume reduction surgeryThe European respiratory journal · 2023
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56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

1 author.

Jonathan A CookHealth Services Research Unit, University Of Aberdeen, Health Sciences Building, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK. j.a.cook@abdn.ac.uk

Funding

Chief Scientist Office HSRU1Medical Research Council G0601938
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Randomised evaluations of surgical interventions are rare; some interventions have been widely adopted without rigorous evaluation. Unlike other medical areas, the randomised controlled trial (RCT) design has not become the default study design for the evaluation of surgical interventions. Surgical trials are difficult to successfully undertake and pose particular practical and methodological challenges. However, RCTs have played a role in the assessment of surgical innovations and there is scope and need for greater use. This article will consider the design, conduct and analysis of an RCT of a surgical intervention. The issues will be reviewed under three headings: the timing of the evaluation, defining the research question and trial design issues. Recommendations on the conduct of future surgical RCTs are made. Collaboration between research and surgical communities is needed to address the distinct issues raised by the assessment of surgical interventions and enable the conduct of appropriate and well-designed trials.

Indexed as

Research DesignSurgical Procedures, OperativeBiomedical ResearchClinical CompetenceCooperative BehaviorData Interpretation, StatisticalDiffusion of InnovationEvidence-Based MedicineHumansPractice Guidelines as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch Support as TopicTime FactorsTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID19200379
PMCPMC2654883

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.