Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Randomized controlled trials in surgery

M J Solomon1, A Laxamana, L Devore

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Canada.

Surgery
|June 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Defining Standard Data Reporting in Pelvic Exenterations for Non-Rectal Cancers: A Systematic Review of Current Data Reporting.

Cancers·2025
Same author

Abstracts of presentations to the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Canadian Association of General Surgeons Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons: Canadian Surgery Forum, London, Ont., Sept. 19 to 22, 2002.

Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie·2023
Same author

Abstracts of presentations to the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Canadian Association of General Surgeons Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons: Canadian Surgery Forum, Toronto, Ont., September 6-9, 2007.

Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie·2023
Same author

Canadian Surgery Forum.

Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie·2022
Same author

Canadian Surgery Forum.

Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie·2022
Same author

Abstracts of presentations to the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons Canadian Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Society Canadian Society of Surgical Oncology Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons: Victoria, BC Sept. 10-13, 2009.

Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie·2022
Same journal

Familiar but unprepared: Artificial intelligence training needs in graduate medical education.

Surgery·2026
Same journal

One-year health care expenditures and patient out-of-pocket spending after open versus minimally invasive hepatopancreatobiliary surgery.

Surgery·2026
Same journal

Shock index, hypotension, and blood product transfusion as predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in firearm-related trauma.

Surgery·2026
Same journal

Outcomes following endovascular aortic aneurysm repair in nonagenarian patients.

Surgery·2026
Same journal

Fistulotomy with primary sphincteroplasty for complex anal fistulas: Should we be concerned about incontinence?

Surgery·2026
Same journal

No need for mesh in the repair of hiatal hernias: Autologous tissue hiatoplasty techniques for the repair of the complex diaphragmatic defect.

Surgery·2026
See all related articles

Surgical randomized controlled trials (RCT) are underrepresented in surgical journals and often lack surgeon principal investigators. Improving the quality and quantity of surgical RCTs is crucial for advancing evidence-based surgical practices.

Area of Science:

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Trials
  • Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

  • Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are crucial for establishing evidence-based medical practices.
  • The role and quality of surgical RCTs, particularly those conducted by surgeons, require thorough investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the number of surgical RCTs performed by surgeons, published in surgical journals, or including a surgical arm.
  • To assess the characteristics and quality of these surgical RCTs.

Main Methods:

  • A MEDLINE search identified surgical RCTs published in 1990 across various general surgery subspecialties.
  • Data on funding, therapy type, surgical area, journal, country, and principal author were analyzed.
  • The completeness of the MEDLINE search was validated against a manual literature search.

Related Experiment Videos

  • All identified RCTs were evaluated using Chalmers' qualitative score.

    • Main Results:

    • MEDLINE identified 202 surgical RCTs, representing 46% of those found through a manual search.
    • Surgeons were principal authors in only one-third of trials, and surgical therapies were compared in only one-quarter.
    • Less than one-third of trials were published in surgical journals, and only 22% received funding from peer-reviewed agencies.
    • Therapy type, journal type, and surgical area significantly influenced RCT quality.

    Conclusions:

    • A relatively low proportion and standard of surgical RCTs are performed by surgeons, published in surgical journals, or directly compare surgical therapies.
    • Potential factors include surgeon expertise in clinical trials, funding limitations, and methodological challenges specific to surgical research.
    • Alternative research designs may be needed to adequately assess surgical interventions.