Published reports of acupuncture trials showed important limitations.
BACKGROUND
Systematic reviewers generally evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on the published reports. We evaluated whether the description of methods in the published reports is an accurate and complete reflection of study procedures used.


METHODS
The authors of 51 RCTs included in a systematic review of acupuncture for chronic pain were sent a brief survey that included questions related to the following three important study quality dimensions: (1) generation of allocation sequence, (2) allocation concealment, and (3) blinding of outcomes assessor.


RESULTS
We received 35 of 51 responses for an overall response rate of 68.6%. Of 35 studies described as randomized in published reports, associated survey responses indicated that four actually used quasi-randomized methods. Among published reports with missing information on these quality dimensions, 27 of 32 studies used adequate methods for the generation of allocation sequence, 13 of 34 used adequate allocation concealment and 2 of 10 were blinded, according to survey responses. Survey responses generally confirmed information about randomization and blinding already described in investigators' RCT publications.


CONCLUSIONS
Surveying RCT investigators uncovered some information about study quality dimensions not described in published reports.
Manheimer
Eric
E
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine, Kernan Hospital Mansion, Baltimore, MD 21207, USA. emanheimer@compmed.umm.edu
Ezzo
Jeanette
J
Hadhazy
Victoria
V
Berman
Brian
B
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D011897:Random Allocation; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome