Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41817614›Full record

ArticleArchives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery2026

Examining the underreporting of social determinants of health in randomized controlled trials published in spine journals.

Michael N Megafu, Jacob T Ayers, Lance C Evans, Spencer A Newell, Michelle Uwefoh, Omar D Guerrero, Andrew C Hecht, James Lin, Robert L Parisien, Investigation Performed by the Scientific Collaborative for Orthopaedic Research and Education (SCORE) Group

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Article in Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery, 2026. 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

10 authors.

Michael N MegafuDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA. megafu@uchc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4215-2144
Jacob T AyersA.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, USA.
Lance C EvansA.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, USA.
Spencer A NewellA.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, MO, USA.
Michelle UwefohAll Saints University School of Medicine, Roseau, Dominica.
Omar D GuerreroA.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Mesa, AZ, USA.
Andrew C HechtDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.
James LinDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.
Robert L ParisienDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7562-8375
Investigation Performed by the Scientific Collaborative for Orthopaedic Research and Education (SCORE) Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSocial determinants of health (SDOH) are nonmedical factors that influence patient outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting SDOH factors in their patient cohorts within several of the highest-impact spinal surgery journals. We hypothesize that SDOH factors will be infrequently reported and often miss variables such as socioeconomic status, employment status, insurance, and education level.

methodsFrom 2020 to 2024, the PubMed database was queried to analyze spine RCTs reporting SDOHs from four high-impact journals. For each study, we determined the age, sex, and/or gender, body mass index (BMI), the year the article was published, the country of origin of the senior author, and self-reported SDOH factors.

resultsOf the 147 included RCTs, age (95.9%), sex/gender (94.6%), and BMI (72.8%) were reported by the majority of studies. There were a total of 33 countries represented by the RCTs reporting spine outcomes, where 25 (17.0%) RCTs were conducted in the United States, 22 (15.0%) RCTs conducted in China, 11 (7.5%) RCTs in the Netherlands, 9 (6.1%) RCTs in Japan and 9 (6.1%) RCTs in Turkey.

conclusionThis paper provides valuable insights into the landscape of spine research and emphasizes the necessity of consistently reporting all SDOH factors. Future research can better inform clinical practice and policy decisions by addressing these considerations, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes for spine patients worldwide.

Indexed as

Periodicals as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSocial Determinants of HealthSpineFemaleHumansOrthopedic surgeryRandomized controlled trialsSocial determinants of healthSpine surgery

Identifiers

PMID41817614
PMCPMC12982305

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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.