title: Published reports of acupuncture trials showed important limitations.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine, Kernan Hospital Mansion, Baltimore, MD 21207, USA. emanheimer@compmed.umm.edu
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manheimer
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ezzo
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hadhazy
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berman
mesh_terms: 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