Evaluating Intervention Reporting in Nursing Journal RCTs Using the TIDieR Checklist: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Clinical Trials Methodology
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Accurate intervention reporting is crucial for reproducibility and clinical application of research findings.
• The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist provides a standardized framework for reporting interventions in clinical trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the completeness of intervention reporting in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in nursing journals using the TIDieR checklist.
• To identify factors influencing adherence to the TIDieR checklist in nursing RCTs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study analyzed 303 RCTs published in nursing journals between January 2022 and December 2022.
• Intervention reports were independently assessed against the TIDieR checklist by two reviewers.
• Binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors of TIDieR compliance.

Main Results:

• Overall adherence to the TIDieR checklist was suboptimal, with fewer than half of the trials demonstrating good reporting quality.
• Specific areas of poor reporting included intervention modifications, tailoring, location details, and adherence.
• Factors such as funding availability and journal ranking influenced TIDieR compliance.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for more rigorous adherence to the TIDieR checklist to enhance the quality of intervention reporting in nursing RCTs.
• Future research could compare TIDieR adherence rates before and after its implementation.