Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29451565›Full record

ArticleResearch integrity and peer review2017

Reporting of sex and gender in randomized controlled trials in Canada: a cross-sectional methods study.

V Welch, M Doull, M Yoganathan, J Jull, M Boscoe, S E Coen, Z Marshall, J Pardo Pardo, A Pederson, J Petkovic and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Research integrity and peer review, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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

37 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 77 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis in Cannabis Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
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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

16 authors at 9 institutions in 1 country.

V Welch1Bruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, 304b-85 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6 M1 Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5238-7097
M Doull3School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, T223-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2B5 Canada.
M Yoganathan1Bruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, 304b-85 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6 M1 Canada.
J Jull4Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario Canada.
M BoscoeResearch Sex/gender, Health Equity, Primary Care Consultant, 906 Bowron Court, North Vancouver, BC V7H 2S7 Canada.
S E Coen6Department of Geography and Planning, Queen's University, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3 N6 Canada.
Z Marshall7Renison University College, University of Waterloo, 240 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G4 Canada.
J Pardo PardoCochrane Musculoskeletal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6 Canada.
A Pederson9B.C. Women's Hospital + Health Centre, E305, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3E1 Canada.
J Petkovic1Bruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, 304b-85 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6 M1 Canada.
L Puil10Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2176 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada.
L Quinlan1Bruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, 304b-85 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6 M1 Canada.
B Shea1Bruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, 304b-85 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 6 M1 Canada.
T RaderCanadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health, 865 Carling Ave, Ottawa, Ontario Canada.
V Runnels12Globalization and Health Equity Research Unit, School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ottawa, 850 Peter Morand Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5Z3 Canada.
S TudiverGender and Health Consultant, 161 Northwestern Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 0 M1 Canada.
University of Ottawa · CABruyère · CAInstitute of Gender and Health · CAB.C. Women's Hospital & Health Centre · CACanadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health · CAQueen's University · CAUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of British Columbia Hospital · CAUniversity of Waterloo · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAccurate reporting on sex and gender in health research is integral to ensuring that health interventions are safe and effective. In Canada and internationally, governments, research organizations, journal editors, and health agencies have called for more inclusive research, provision of sex-disaggregated data, and the integration of sex and gender analysis throughout the research process. Sex and gender analysis is generally defined as an approach for considering how and why different subpopulations (e.g., of diverse genders, ages, and social locations) may experience health conditions and interventions in different or similar ways.The objective of this study was to assess the extent and nature of reporting about sex and/or gender, including whether sex and gender analysis (SGA) was carried out in a sample of Canadian randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with human participants.

methodsWe searched MEDLINE from 01 January 2013 to 23 July 2014 using a validated filter for identification of RCTs, combined with terms related to Canada. Two reviewers screened the search results to identify the first 100 RCTs that were either identified in the trial publication as funded by a Canadian organization or which had a first or last author based in Canada. Data were independently extracted by two people from 10% of the RCTs during an initial training period; once agreement was reached on this sample, the remainder of the data extraction was completed by one person and verified by a second.

resultsThe search yielded 1433 records. We screened 256 records to identify 100 RCTs which met our eligibility criteria. The median sample size of the RCTs was 107 participants (range 12-6085). While 98% of studies described the demographic composition of their participants by sex, only 6% conducted a subgroup analysis across sex and 4% reported sex-disaggregated data. No article defined "sex" and/or "gender." No publication carried out a comprehensive sex and gender analysis.

conclusionsFindings highlight poor uptake of sex and gender considerations in the Canadian RCT context and underscore the need for better articulated guidance on sex and gender analysis to improve reporting of evidence, inform policy development, and guide future research.

Indexed as

CanadaGenderQualityRandomized controlled trials as a topicSex/gender analysis

Identifiers

PMID29451565
PMCPMC5803639
OpenAlexW2736138949

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.