Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39046924›Full record

ArticleJournal of palliative medicine2025

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Interpreting a Clinical Trial.

Taylan Gurgenci, Cian O'Leary, David Hui, Sriram Yennu, Eduardo Bruera, Mellar Davis, Meera R Agar, Camilla Zimmermann, Jennifer Philip, Sebastiano Mercadante and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of palliative medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Taylan GurgenciDepartment of Palliative and Supportive Care, Mater Health Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Cian O'LearyCancer Program, Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
David HuiDepartment of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Sriram YennuPalliative, Rehabilitation & Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Eduardo BrueraDepartment of Palliative, Rehabilitation, & Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer, Houston, Texas, USA.
Mellar DavisDirector of Palliative Care Research at Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton PA, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.
Meera R AgarFaculty of Health, IMPACCT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Camilla ZimmermannDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4889-0244
Jennifer PhilipDepartment of Palliative Care, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3312-0645
Sebastiano MercadantePain Relief and Supportive-Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9859-6487
Janet HardyMater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
William E RosaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0680-8911
Phillip GoodDepartment of Palliative and Supportive Care, Mater Health Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8198-0375

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI SELWYN M VICKERS · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Evidence-based practice is foundational to high-quality palliative care delivery. However, the clinical trials that compose the evidence base are often methodologically imperfect. Applying their conclusions without critical application to the clinical practice context can harm patients. The tips provided can help clinicians infer judiciously from clinical trial results and avoid credulously accepting findings without critique. We suggest that statistical and mathematical expertise is unnecessary, but rather a keen curiosity about investigators' rationale for certain design choices and how these choices can affect results is key. For a more comprehensive understanding of clinical trials, this article can be used with the authors' corresponding ten tips article that focuses on designing a clinical trial.

Indexed as

Clinical Trials as TopicPalliative CareResearch DesignFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Agedclinical trialsdata interpretationevidence-based medicinepalliative carequality of datarandomized control trials

Identifiers

PMID39046924
PMCPMC12372911

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.