Reporting Time Horizons in Randomized Controlled Trials in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Clinical Trials
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Current randomized controlled trial (RCT) guidelines lack requirements for justifying time horizon selection.
• The chosen time horizon significantly impacts RCT result interpretation and resource allocation.
• Inadequate justification of time horizons can affect the validity and comparability of study findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reporting standards of time horizons in plastic surgery RCTs.
• To assess the justification provided for the selected time horizons in plastic surgery research.
• To highlight the need for standardized reporting of time horizons in clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of plastic surgery RCTs published in the last 4 years.
• MEDLINE database search for relevant prospective, nonpharmaceutical RCTs comparing two surgical interventions.
• Data extraction on study population, time horizon reporting, and justification for time horizon choice.

Main Results:

• 103 plastic surgery RCTs were included in the review.
• 85.4% of studies reported a standardized time horizon for outcome assessment.
• However, 85.4% of these studies failed to provide a valid justification for their chosen time horizon.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of plastic surgery RCTs do not justify their chosen time horizons.
• Standardizing time horizons is recommended to reduce heterogeneity and improve outcome validity.
• Justification and standardization of time horizons enhance the ability to pool results and increase research efficiency.