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Randomization, blinding, data handling and sample size estimation in papers published in Veterinary Anaesthesia and
Brittany A Munro1, Paige Bergen2, Daniel Sj Pang3
1Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia
|October 26, 2021
Summary
Reporting quality in veterinary research remains low, with significant risks of bias. While randomization reporting improved, other key study design elements like blinding and data exclusion did not change significantly over a decade.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary research methodology
- Scientific publication quality
- Bias assessment in studies
Background:
- Inconsistent reporting of study design elements can introduce bias.
- Assessing the quality of reporting in scientific literature is crucial for reliable research outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reporting of bias indicators and weak study design elements in veterinary research.
- To compare reporting practices over a 10-year interval to identify trends in study quality.
Main Methods:
- A literature survey of papers published in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia.
- Analysis of reporting for randomization, blinding, sample size estimation, and data exclusion.
- Comparison of reporting rates between 2008/2009 and 2018/2019, with an ideal reporting rate set at >95%.
Main Results:
- Reporting of randomization significantly increased from 13.6% to 85.7% (p < 0.0001).
- Sample size estimation reporting improved from 0% to 20% (p = 0.002).
- Reporting for blinding and data exclusions showed no significant change; data availability was very low.
Conclusions:
- Despite improvements in randomization reporting, overall reporting quality remains low.
- The study highlights a persistent risk of bias in published veterinary research.
- Further improvements in reporting standards are necessary to enhance study validity.
