Reporting number needed to treat and absolute risk reduction in randomized controlled trials - PubMed (original) (raw)

Reporting number needed to treat and absolute risk reduction in randomized controlled trials

Jim Nuovo et al. JAMA. 2002.

Abstract

Context: Ongoing efforts to improve the quality of reporting for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) include the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement. We examined the frequency of explicit reporting of the number needed to treat (NNT) and the absolute risk reduction (ARR) in RCTs.

Methods: Five frequently cited journals were investigated: Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine. For each journal, 4 years were evaluated: 1989, 1992, 1995, and 1998. All issues of each journal for each year were reviewed manually. Eligible articles were those in which an RCT was conducted on the use of a medication showing a significant treatment effect. Elements abstracted from each eligible article were the condition investigated, event being treated or prevented, intervention, study results, and reporting methods (relative risk reduction, NNT, and ARR).

Results: Of 359 eligible articles, NNT was reported in 8 articles. Six of the 8 studies were from 1998. Absolute risk reduction was reported in 18 articles, 10 of which were from 1998.

Conclusions: Despite CONSORT recommendations, few authors expressed their findings in terms of NNT or ARR. Consideration should be given to including these values in reports of RCTs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

• Interpreting the number needed to treat.
  Wu LA, Kottke TE. Wu LA, et al. JAMA. 2002 Aug 21;288(7):830-1; author reply 831-2. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.7.830-a. JAMA. 2002. PMID: 12186595 No abstract available.
• Interpreting the number needed to treat.
  Schulz KF, Moher D, Altman DG. Schulz KF, et al. JAMA. 2002 Aug 21;288(7):831; author reply 831-2. JAMA. 2002. PMID: 12186596 No abstract available.

Similar articles

• Use of the CONSORT statement and quality of reports of randomized trials: a comparative before-and-after evaluation.
  Moher D, Jones A, Lepage L; CONSORT Group (Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials). Moher D, et al. JAMA. 2001 Apr 18;285(15):1992-5. doi: 10.1001/jama.285.15.1992. JAMA. 2001. PMID: 11308436
• Reporting adverse events in randomized controlled trials.
  Nuovo J, Sather C. Nuovo J, et al. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2007 Mar;16(3):349-51. doi: 10.1002/pds.1310. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2007. PMID: 16998947
• Value of flow diagrams in reports of randomized controlled trials.
  Egger M, Jüni P, Bartlett C; CONSORT Group (Consolidated Standards of Reporting of Trials). Egger M, et al. JAMA. 2001 Apr 18;285(15):1996-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.285.15.1996. JAMA. 2001. PMID: 11308437
• Endorsement for improving the quality of reports on randomized controlled trials of traditional medicine journals in Korea: a systematic review.
  Choi J, Jun JH, Kang BK, Kim KH, Lee MS. Choi J, et al. Trials. 2014 Nov 5;15:429. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-429. Trials. 2014. PMID: 25373427 Free PMC article. Review.
• Randomized controlled trials and neurosurgery: the ideal fit or should alternative methodologies be considered?
  Mansouri A, Cooper B, Shin SM, Kondziolka D. Mansouri A, et al. J Neurosurg. 2016 Feb;124(2):558-68. doi: 10.3171/2014.12.JNS142465. Epub 2015 Aug 28. J Neurosurg. 2016. PMID: 26315006 Review.

Cited by

• Number needed to treat for interleukin inhibitors approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in Italy.
  Ravasio R, Costanzo A, Antonelli S, Maiorino A, Losi S. Ravasio R, et al. Glob Reg Health Technol Assess. 2021 Apr 15;8:53-57. doi: 10.33393/grhta.2021.2222. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec. Glob Reg Health Technol Assess. 2021. PMID: 36627878 Free PMC article.
• CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials.
  Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D; CONSORT Group. Schulz KF, et al. BMC Med. 2010 Mar 24;8:18. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-8-18. BMC Med. 2010. PMID: 20334633 Free PMC article.
• Absolute Effect of Prostate Cancer Screening: Balance of Benefits and Harms by Center within the European Randomized Study of Prostate Cancer Screening.
  Auvinen A, Moss SM, Tammela TL, Taari K, Roobol MJ, Schröder FH, Bangma CH, Carlsson S, Aus G, Zappa M, Puliti D, Denis LJ, Nelen V, Kwiatkowski M, Randazzo M, Paez A, Lujan M, Hugosson J. Auvinen A, et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2016 Jan 1;22(1):243-9. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-0941. Epub 2015 Aug 19. Clin Cancer Res. 2016. PMID: 26289069 Free PMC article.
• Ezetimibe: Clinical and Scientific Meaning of the IMPROVE-IT Study.
  Correia LC. Correia LC. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2016 Mar;106(3):247-9. doi: 10.5935/abc.20160033. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2016. PMID: 27027368 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
• Pelvic floor disorders after vaginal birth: effect of episiotomy, perineal laceration, and operative birth.
  Handa VL, Blomquist JL, McDermott KC, Friedman S, Muñoz A. Handa VL, et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2012 Feb;119(2 Pt 1):233-9. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318240df4f. Obstet Gynecol. 2012. PMID: 22227639 Free PMC article.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.
  • Silverchair Information Systems