Outcome reporting bias: cherry-picking the best results When planning an RCT, the choice of primary outcome is crucial. This is an integral part of the research question, and forms the basis of the sample size calculation. Secondary outcomes are also chosen, to give a wider indication of the effects of interventions, generate new hypotheses, and […]
Latest articles
October #ADC_JC – can bruise location help us spot physical abuse?
October’s #ADC_JC discussed this paper on bruising patterns in children with physical abuse. Anyone working with children should be on the lookout for physical abuse – but can the number of bruises and the pattern of bruising actually tell us anything? We were joined by Professor Alison Kemp, one of the study authors and I […]
Reading between the lines part 3: Hiding who got what
Performance and detection bias – hiding who got what Bias can occur if the treatment arm to which a given participant is randomized is known. When reading an RCT report, the term “double-blind” is often not sufficient to help appraise this. We need to know from whom treatment identity was masked, and how. […]
Reading between the lines part 2: Some ‘equal groups’ are more equal than others
Selection bias – some ‘equal groups’ are more equal than others The groups of participants receiving interventions should be equal, otherwise confounding variables might give one treatment an advantage over another. If there is a systematic reason for this, the study is at risk of selection bias. Randomization (sequence generation) The first consideration is […]
Knowledge translation – making it happen
There’s a really clear and neat idea that researchers do research, which gets published, and clinicians take this and do it in their practice. We know this isn’t true. But how to make the translation from study/publication at the clinic, onto the wards or out into the community is tricky. Prof Trish Greenhalsh gave a really […]
Clinical trials – reading between the lines.
Another new series of blogs here in the ADC website, from Ian Sinha of the Respiratory Unit, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK, takes a look at explaining the deeper depths of critical appraisal of randomised controlled trials from the perspective of the Cochrane collaboration’s approach to this issue. – Archi Clinical trials – reading between […]
September #ADC_JC – Those who can, do, those who can’t, teach?
Last month #ADC_JC discussed this paper which looked at just how good APLS instructors are at performing neonatal CPR. You may find the results a little surprising… But I won’t spoil it for you, read Alan Grayson’s take on it via storify. Our next #ADC_JC will be on Monday 21st October at 9pm. The paper will […]
Guest Blog: The end of systematic reviews?
So the titles intentionally provocative and NOT the brainchild of the post’s author (@JRBTrip of @TRIPdatabase) … but Jon has provided us at the Archives with a paediatric-orientated version of the new TRIP rapid-review system. Read on to find out more, and comment / tweet us your thoughts … Bob Phillips for @ADC_BMJ Trip Rapid […]
Debating devices
It’s really hard to persuade people that devices need evaluation like drugs do. This might be to do with the physical nature of a device: after all, if you can see the new cannula attachment, or special breathing mask, you know what it’s doing and what it must be making. Or it might be in […]
StatsMiniBlog: Bland Altman Plots
Measuring things is what we do lots of, and we often want to measure things with a new machine. New, faster, shinier, cheaper, less invasive or more colourful … but we are almost always sold it as being highly correlated with the reference standard (p<0.001). Think – what is this correlation and p-value telling us? […]