Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26483590›Full record

ArticleActa informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH2015

Those Responsible for Approving Research Studies Have Poor Knowledge of Research Study Design: a Knowledge Assessment of Institutional Review Board Members.

Rahul Mhaskar, Elizabeth Barnett Pathak, Sarah Wieten, Thomas M Guterbock, Ambuj Kumar, Benjamin Djulbegovic

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 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.

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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  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.

Rahul MhaskarProgram For Comparative Effectiveness Research, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 27 Tampa, Florida 33612.
Elizabeth Barnett PathakProgram For Comparative Effectiveness Research, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 27 Tampa, Florida 33612.
Sarah WietenProgram For Comparative Effectiveness Research, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 27 Tampa, Florida 33612.
Thomas M GuterbockUniversity of Virginia; Center for Survey Research; 2400 Old Ivy Road, Suite 212 Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Ambuj KumarProgram For Comparative Effectiveness Research, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 27 Tampa, Florida 33612.
Benjamin DjulbegovicProgram For Comparative Effectiveness Research, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 27 Tampa, Florida 33612.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInstitutional Review Board (IRB) members have a duty to protect the integrity of the research process, but little is known about their basic knowledge of clinical research study designs.

methodsA nationwide sample of IRB members from major US research universities completed a web-based questionnaire consisting of 11 questions focusing on basic knowledge about clinical research study designs. It included questions about randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and other observational research study designs. Potential predictors (age, gender, educational attainment, type of IRB, current IRB membership, years of IRB service, clinical research experience, and self-identification as a scientist) of incorrect answers were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models.

results148 individuals from 36 universities participated. The majority of participants, 68.9% (102/148), were holding a medical or doctoral degree. Overall, only 26.5% (39/148) of participants achieved a perfect score of 11. On the six-question subset addressing RCTs, 46.6% (69/148) had a perfect score. Most individual questions, and the summary model of overall quiz score (perfect vs. not perfect), revealed no significant predictors - indicating that knowledge deficits were not limited to specific subgroups of IRB members. For the RCT knowledge score there was one significant predictor: compared with MDs, IRB members without a doctoral degree were three times as likely to answer at least one RCT question incorrectly (Odds Ratio: 3.00, 95% CI 1.10-8.20). However, even among MD IRB members, 34.1% (14/41) did not achieve a perfect score on the six RCT questions.

conclusionsThis first nationwide study of IRB member knowledge about clinical research study designs found significant knowledge deficits. Knowledge deficits were not limited to laypersons or community advocate members of IRBs, as previously suggested. Akin to widespread ethical training requirements for clinical researchers, IRB members should undergo systematic training on clinical research designs.

Indexed as

approvalclinical trialsinstitutional review boardknowledgeobservational studiesrandomized controlled trialsstudy design

Identifiers

PMID26483590
PMCPMC4584095

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.