ReviewTrials2015
Interventions in randomised controlled trials in surgery: issues to consider during trial design.
Review in Trials, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 8 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
22 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Continuity of outcome assessment throughout the lifecycle of surgical research: mapping core outcome domains measured in early phase and late phase studies.BMC surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Identifying and reporting modifications to surgical innovation: a systematic review of IDEAL/IDEAL-D studies.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Randomized controlled trials comparing gastric bypass, gastric band, and sleeve gastrectomy: A systematic review examining validity and applicability to wider clinical practice.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic Review of Innovation Reporting in Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty.Obesity surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Systematic review of the introduction and evaluation of magnetic augmentation of the lower oesophageal sphincter for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.The British journal of surgery · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions for necrotizing soft tissue infections in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Innovation in neurosurgery: less than IDEAL? A systematic review.Acta neurochirurgica · 2017Pooled it
- How Well Is Quality Improvement Described in the Perioperative Care Literature? A Systematic Review.Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety · 2016Pooled it
- Effectiveness of septoplasty compared to medical management in adults with obstruction associated with a deviated nasal septum: the NAIROS RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Trial
- Posterior cervical foraminotomy versus anterior cervical discectomy for Cervical Brachialgia: the FORVAD RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Improving care at scale: process evaluation of a multi-component quality improvement intervention to reduce mortality after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH trial).Implementation science : IS · 2018Trial
- Frameworks for the design and reporting of anaesthesia interventions in perioperative clinical trials.BJA open · 2025Article
- Article
- Two decades of surgical randomized controlled trials: worldwide trends in volume and methodological quality.The British journal of surgery · 2023Review
- Article
- Photobiomodulation in the management of oral mucositis for adult head and neck cancer patients receiving irradiation: the LiTEFORM RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2022Article
- Group sequential designs in pragmatic trials: feasibility and assessment of utility using data from a number of recent surgical RCTs.BMC medical research methodology · 2022Article
- Transarterial Embolization for the Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review of Indications, Safety, and Efficacy.ACR open rheumatology · 2022Article
- Enhanced postoperative surveillance versus standard of care to reduce mortality among adult surgical patients in Africa (ASOS-2): a cluster-randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2021Article
- Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery-A Multicentre Study of 9617 Patients from Indian Bariatric Surgery Outcome Reporting Group.Obesity surgery · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Until recently, insufficient attention has been paid to the fact that surgical interventions are complex. This complexity has several implications, including the way in which surgical interventions are described and delivered in trials. In order for surgeons to adopt trial findings, interventions need to be described in sufficient detail to enable accurate replication; however, it may be permissible to allow some aspects to be delivered according to local practice. Accumulating work in this area has identified the need for general guidance on the design of surgical interventions in trial protocols and reports. Key issues to consider when designing surgical interventions include the identification of each surgical intervention and their components, who will deliver the interventions, and where and how the interventions will be standardised and monitored during the trial. The trial design (pragmatic and explanatory), comparator and stage of innovation may also influence the extent of detail required. Thoughtful consideration of surgical interventions in this way may help with the interpretation of trial results and the adoption of successful interventions into clinical practice.
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.