ReviewTrials2012
Allocation techniques for balance at baseline in cluster randomized trials: a methodological review.
Review in Trials, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 150 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.
GeneXpert Performance Evaluation for Linkage to Tuberculosis Care: The XPEL-TB Trial
Applying Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue (AWED): A Non-blinded Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial to Assess the Efficacy of Wolbachia-infected Mosquito Deployments to Reduce Dengue Incidence in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of Three School-based Body Image Interventions Delivered by Teachers
Online Training for Addressing Perinatal Depression
Who cites it
150 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Review of the Ring Trial Design for Evaluating Ring Interventions for Infectious Diseases.Epidemiologic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Interventions to Improve Antimicrobial Stewardship for Older People in Care Homes: A Systematic Review.Drugs & aging · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Move for Life an intervention for inactive adults aged 50 years and older: a cluster randomised feasibility trial.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- Medium-to-long term sustainability of a health systems intervention to improve service readiness and quality of non-communicable disease (NCD) patient care and experience at primary care settings in Uganda.BMC health services research · 2023Trial
- Physical Activity Intervention for Leisure-Time Activity Levels Among Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Screening for Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults at Primary Care Visits: VITAL-AF Randomized Controlled Trial.Circulation · 2022Trial
- Peer-Delivery of a Gender-Specific Smoking Cessation Intervention for Women Living in Disadvantaged Communities in Ireland We Can Quit2 (WCQ2)-A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Engaging older adults as advocates for age-friendly, walkable communities: The Senior Change Makers Pilot Study.Translational behavioral medicine · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Comparing the effectiveness of home visiting paraprofessionals and mental health professionals delivering a postpartum depression preventive intervention: a cluster-randomized non-inferiority clinical trial.Archives of women's mental health · 2021Trial
- Fall prevention interventions in primary care to reduce fractures and falls in people aged 70 years and over: the PreFIT three-arm cluster RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2021Trial
- Effects and safety of herbal medicines among community-dwelling residents during COVID-19 pandemic: A large prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT).Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Effects of an active break and postural shift intervention on preventing neck and low-back pain among high-risk office workers: a 3-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2021Trial
- Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: baseline results in a cluster preference randomised controlled trial.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2020Trial
- Outcomes of Three- Versus Six-Monthly Dispensing of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) for Stable HIV Patients in Community ART Refill Groups: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Zimbabwe.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2020Trial
- Impact of audit and feedback with action implementation toolbox on improving ICU pain management: cluster-randomised controlled trial.BMJ quality & safety · 2019Trial
- A group randomized control trial to test the efficacy of the Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) program among Canadian military recruits.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
90 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Reviews have repeatedly noted important methodological issues in the conduct and reporting of cluster randomized controlled trials (C-RCTs). These reviews usually focus on whether the intracluster correlation was explicitly considered in the design and analysis of the C-RCT. However, another important aspect requiring special attention in C-RCTs is the risk for imbalance of covariates at baseline. Imbalance of important covariates at baseline decreases statistical power and precision of the results. Imbalance also reduces face validity and credibility of the trial results. The risk of imbalance is elevated in C-RCTs compared to trials randomizing individuals because of the difficulties in recruiting clusters and the nested nature of correlated patient-level data. A variety of restricted randomization methods have been proposed as way to minimize risk of imbalance. However, there is little guidance regarding how to best restrict randomization for any given C-RCT. The advantages and limitations of different allocation techniques, including stratification, matching, minimization, and covariate-constrained randomization are reviewed as they pertain to C-RCTs to provide investigators with guidance for choosing the best allocation technique for their trial.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What 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.