Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25079932›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2014

Quality of randomised controlled trials in medical education reported between 2012 and 2013: a systematic review protocol.

Martin G Tolsgaard, Cheryl Ku, Nicole N Woods, Kulamakan Mahan Kulasegaram, Ryan Brydges, Charlotte Ringsted

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Systematic review of control groups in nutrition education intervention research.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017
    Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
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

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Martin G TolsgaardCentre for Clinical Education and the Juliane Marie Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cheryl KuThe Wilson Centre, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Nicole N WoodsDepartment of Surgery, The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Kulamakan Mahan KulasegaramDepartment of Family, Community Medicine and The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ryan BrydgesDepartment of Medicine, The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Charlotte RingstedDepartment of Anesthesia, The Wilson Centre, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Wilson Centre · CAUniversity of Toronto · CACopenhagen University Hospital · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionResearch in medical education has increased in volume over the past decades but concerns have been raised regarding the quality of trials conducted within this field. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving educational interventions that are reported in biomedical journals have been criticised for their insufficient conceptual, theoretical framework. RCTs published in journals dedicated to medical education, on the other hand, have been questioned regarding their methodological rigour. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the quality of RCTs of educational interventions reported in 2012 and 2013 in journals dedicated to medical education compared to biomedical journals with respect to objective quality criteria. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: RCTs published between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2013 in English are included. The search strategy is developed with the help of experienced librarians to search online databases for key terms. All of the identified RCTs are screened based on their titles and abstracts individually by the authors and then compared in pairs to assess agreement. Data are extracted from the included RCTs by independently scoring each RCT using a data collection form. The data collection form consists of four steps. Step 1 includes confirmation of RCT eligibility; step 2 consists of the CONSORT checklist; step 3 consists of the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument framework; step 4 consists of a Medical Education Extension (MEdEx) to the CONSORT checklist. The MEdEx includes the following elements: Description of scientific background, explanation of rationale, quality of research questions and hypotheses, clarity in the description of the use of the intervention and control as well as interpretation of results. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This review is the first to systematically examine the quality of RCTs conducted in medical education. We plan to disseminate the results through publications and presentation at relevant conferences. Ethical approval is not sought for this review.

Indexed as

Education, MedicalPeriodicals as TopicHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch DesignSystematic Reviews as TopicEDUCATION & TRAINING (see Medical Education & Training)EPIDEMIOLOGY

Identifiers

PMID25079932
PMCPMC4120313
OpenAlexW2134789891

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.