Systematic ReviewGynecologyVariation in outcome reporting in endometriosis trials: a systematic review
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A protocol with explicitly defined objectives, criteria for study selection, and approaches assessing outcome selection was developed. The systematic review was registered with the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials Initiative Register4 and conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.5
A comprehensive and systematic literature review was undertaken searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL),
Results
The search strategy identified 1570 titles and abstracts. We screened 1409 titles and abstracts following the exclusion of 161 duplicate records (Figure 1). We included 54 RCTs9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 (Table 1). The included trials collected and reported 164 outcomes and 113 outcome measures (Table 2).
Summary
In this study, there was outcome reporting heterogeneity. The most common comparable outcome (dysmenorrhea) and measurement tool assessed (visual analog scale from 1 to 10) were reported infrequently.
There was a relationship between the quality of outcomes reported and the quality of a study, but there was not an association with journal impact factor at publication in a multivariable analysis. The RCTs included were from an international setting with different patient populations. This meant
Acknowledgment
We thank Dr Javier Zamora (Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom) for his advice regarding data analysis and interpretation.
International Collaboration to Harmonize Outcomes and Measures for Endometriosis Steering Group: Dr James M N Duffy (Balliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom); Cindy Farquhar (Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand); Dr Martin Hirsch (Women's Health Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London,
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The authors report no conflict of interest.