Background
Methods
Inclusion criteria
Outcome measures
Statistics
Results
Evidence-based study design of American Burn Association annual meeting abstracts
2000 | 2008 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral | % | poster | % | p | oral | % | poster | % | p | |
RCT
| 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.268 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0.325 |
non RCT
| 87 | 63 | 74 | 61 | 0.755 | 101 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 0.927 |
Observational |
77
|
56
|
47
|
39
|
0.006*
|
98
|
64
|
64
|
64
|
0.939
|
Other (Video, Case report, Systematical Review, Describing op/new technik) |
10
|
7
|
27
|
22
|
< 0.001*
|
3
|
2
|
4
|
4
| - |
Experimental
| 42 | 30 | 39 | 32 | 0.478 | 44 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 0.727 |
Drop Out
| 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0.046* | - | - | - | - | - |
Total
|
138
|
121
|
152
|
100
|
CONSORT criteria and Timmer quality instrument for reporting randomised-controlled trials in annual meeting abstracts
CONSORT | 2000 | 2008 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral | poster | oral | poster | |||||
N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | |
Total
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Title randomized
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 50 |
Authors
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trial design
| 9 | 100 | 2 | 50 | 6 | 86 | 1 | 50 |
Participants
| 8 | 89 | 4 | 100 | 4 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
Interventions
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 6 | 86 | 2 | 100 |
Objective/Hypothesis
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 6 | 86 | 2 | 100 |
Main Outcome
| 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 50 |
Randomization
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Blinding
| 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
Number randomized
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Recruitment
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Numbers analyzed
| 8 | 89 | 4 | 100 | 3 | 43 | 2 | 100 |
Outcome
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Harms
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Conclusion
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Trial registration
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Funding
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
Timmer instrument for RCTs | 2000 | 2008 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral | poster | oral | Poster | |||||
N | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |
Question/objective sufficiently described? | 5 | 56 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Design evident and appropriate to answer study question? | 8 | 89 | 3 | 75 | 6 | 86 | 2 | 100 |
Subject characteristics sufficiently described? | 7 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 71 | 2 | 100 |
Subjects appropriate to the study question? | 7 | 78 | 3 | 75 | 6 | 86 | 1 | 50 |
Controls used and appropriate? (if no control, check no)
| 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Method of subject selection described and appropriate? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
If random allocation to treatment groups was possible, is it described? (if not possible, check n/a) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
If blinding of investigators to intervention was possible, is it reported? (If not possible, n/a) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
If blinding of subjects to intervention was possible, is it reported? (If not possible, n/a)1
| 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
Outcome measure well defined and robust to measurement bias? Means of assessment reported? | 7 | 78 | 4 | 100 | 5 | 71 | 2 | 100 |
Confounding accounted for? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sample size adequate? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Post hoc power calculations or confidence intervals reported for statistically non significant results? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Statistical analyses appropriate? | 2 | 22 | 1 | 25 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 50 |
Statistical tests stated? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 50 |
Exact p-values or confidence intervals stated? | 7 | 78 | 2 | 50 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Attrition of subjects and reason for attrition recorded? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results reported in sufficient detail? | 7 | 78 | 3 | 75 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Do the results support the conclusions? | 9 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 7 | 100 | 2 | 100 |
Sum (items 1-19) |
STROBE criteria and Timmer quality instrument for reporting observational studies in annual meeting abstracts
STROBE | 2000 | 2008 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral | poster | oral | poster | |||||||
N | % | n | % | p-value | n | % | n | % | p-value | |
Total
| 77 | 100 | 47 | 100 | 98 | 100 | 64 | 100 | ||
Title and abstract
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Background/rationale
| 72 | 94 | 46 | 98 | 0.407 | 88 | 90 | 64 | 100 | 0.012 |
Objectives
| 50 | 65 | 36 | 77 | 0.172 | 73 | 74 | 25 | 39 | < 0.001* |
Study design
| 15 | 19 | 12 | 26 | 0.428 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 25 | 0.621 |
Setting
| 27 | 35 | 23 | 49 | 0.127 | 46 | 47 | 37 | 58 | 0.197 |
Participants
| 44 | 57 | 27 | 57 | 0.974 | 42 | 43 | 21 | 33 | 0.182 |
Variables
| 51 | 66 | 29 | 62 | 0.609 | 47 | 48 | 37 | 58 | 0.245 |
Data sources/measurement
| 25 | 32 | 18 | 38 | 0.508 | 31 | 32 | 11 | 17 | 0.037* |
Bias
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.379 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
Study size
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.004* |
Quantitative variables
| 9 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 0.533 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0.016* |
Statistical methods
| 15 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 0,512 | 27 | 28 | 10 | 16 | 0.072 |
Participants
| 30 | 39 | 24 | 51 | 0.187 | 56 | 57 | 41 | 64 | 0.422 |
Descriptive data
| 9 | 12 | 15 | 32 | 0.006* | 31 | 32 | 23 | 36 | 0.601 |
Outcome data
| 61 | 79 | 43 | 91 | 0.083 | 81 | 83 | 58 | 91 | 0.198 |
Main result
| 66 | 86 | 44 | 94 | 0.246 | 81 | 83 | 60 | 94 | 0.085 |
Other analysis
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
Key result
| 63 | 82 | 43 | 91 | 0.19 | 83 | 85 | 61 | 95 | 0.066 |
Limitation
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.379 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
Interpretation
| 72 | 94 | 45 | 96 | 0.708 | 85 | 87 | 64 | 100 | 0.004* |
Generalizability
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
Funding
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 24 | 24 | 15 | 23 | 0.85 |
Timmer instrument for observational studies | 2000 | 2008 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oral | poster | 0ral | poster | |||||
n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |
Question/objective sufficiently described? | 50 | 65 | 36 | 77 | 73 | 74 | 25 | 63 |
Design evident and appropriate to answer study question? | 75 | 97 | 46 | 98 | 95 | 97 | 61 | 95 |
Subject characteristics sufficiently described? | 45 | 58 | 27 | 57 | 61 | 62 | 36 | 56 |
Subjects appropriate to the study question? | 68 | 88 | 41 | 87 | 95 | 97 | 54 | 84 |
Method of subject selection described and appropriate? | 61 | 79 | 44 | 94 | 81 | 83 | 52 | 81 |
Outcome measure well defined and robust to measurement bias? Means of assessment reported? | 25 | 32 | 18 | 38 | 73 | 74 | 37 | 58 |
Confounding accounted for? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sample size adequate? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Post hoc power calculations or confidence intervals reported for statistically non significant results? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Statistical analyses appropriate? | 71 | 92 | 35 | 74 | 89 | 91 | 57 | 89 |
Statistical tests stated? | 15 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 28 | 10 | 16 |
Exact p-values or confidence intervals stated? | 72 | 92 | 40 | 85 | 90 | 92 | 58 | 88 |
Attrition of subjects and reason for attrition recorded? | 34 | 44 | 20 | 43 | 54 | 55 | 42 | 66 |
Results reported in sufficient detail? | 74 | 96 | 40 | 85 | 82 | 84 | 61 | 98 |
Do the results support the conclusions? | 72 | 94 | 45 | 96 | 89 | 91 | 56 | 88 |
Sum (items 1-15) |