ArticleAnnals of clinical epidemiology2025
Secondary Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Methodological Considerations and Best Practices.
Article in Annals of clinical epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Verbal framing, rather than measured cognitive-affective variables, is associated with short-term outcomes after spinal manipulation: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Pain management · 2026Trial
- Weight- and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage-Related Information Avoidance: Implications for Self-Monitoring in a Behavioral Intervention.Journal of nutrition education and behavior · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Secondary analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) offer an efficient way to maximize the value of existing trial data and explore clinical questions beyond the original trial scope. This review outlines methodological considerations and best practices, emphasizing their role in evidence-based medicine. We describe major RCT data sources and summarize steps for accessing individual participant data. Key methods include formulating research questions, understanding trial design, data processing, statistical analysis, and clinical interpretation. Types of secondary analyses are discussed including subgroup analysis, biomarker studies, health economics, methodological research, adverse event analysis, and predictive modeling. Common challenges, such as data applicability, missingness, generalizability, and multiple testing, are summarized. With advances in data sharing, secondary analyses are expected to drive scientific discovery and provide more evidence for diagnosis and treatment patterns as long as rigorous standards and transparency are maintained.
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.