[Quality of clinical trials published in Spain on asthma in comparison to trials in English language journals].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality of clinical trials on asthma published in Spanish journals in comparison with those published in European or North American English-language journals.


METHODS
Clinical trials were identified by searching MEDLINE and the Spanish Medical Index (Indice Médico Español), and by manual searches for trials mentioned in the bibliographies of the previously identified trials. Quality was assessed by the method proposed by Detsky and colleagues in their 1992 article in Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.


RESULTS
The articles published in Spanish journals had lower mean quality scores than those in European or North American English-language journals. Trials published in Spain were less likely to give certain details of methodology, including ethics committee approval, details of randomization or patient enrollment and blinding. Among trials published in Spain, those with non-Spanish authors had lower mean quality scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical trials published in Spain on asthma treatments are of poorer quality than those published in English-language journals. Editors should consider using clinical trial quality checklists during the peer review process to raise the standards for published articles.
Quiñones
D
D
Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Cantabria. Santander. España.
Llorca
J
J
Prieto-Salceda
D
D
Delgado-Rodríguez
M
M
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D005060:Europe; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011786:Quality Control; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States