title: Electronic trial banks: a complementary method for reporting randomized trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Randomized clinical trial (RCT) results are often difficult to find, interpret, or apply to clinical care. The authors propose that RCTs be reported into electronic knowledge bases-trial banks-in addition to being reported in text. What information should these trial-bank reports contain?
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the competency decomposition method, the authors specified the ideal trial-bank contents as the information necessary and sufficient for completing the task of systematic reviewing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  They decomposed the systematic reviewing task into four top-level tasks and 62 subtasks. 162 types of trial information were necessary and sufficient for completing these subtasks. These items relate to a trial's design, execution, administration, and results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trial-bank publishing of these 162 items would capture into computer-understandable form all the trial information needed for critically appraising and synthesizing trial results. Decision-support systems that access shared, up-to-date trial banks could help clinicians manage, synthesize, and apply RCT evidence more effectively.
authors.affiliation: VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA. sim@medicine.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Lavori
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Rennels
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D018973:Intellectual Property; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011643:Publishing; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic