Spin and fragility in anaesthesia studies: when sirens sing into anaesthetists' ears

Marcelo Gama de Abreu, Marcus J. Schultz, Ary Serpa Neto

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Spin and fragility are common in randomised controlled trials published in anaesthesia journals. Staying with the facts and addressing only the primary endpoint in the conclusion of clinical research reports might help reduce spin. Routinely reporting the fragility index, in turn, could deliver information about robustness, enhancing the transparency of positive dichotomous results. It is in the best interest of clinical research that authors, reviewers, and journals come together to reduce spin and address the fragility of randomised controlled trials.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)507-510
Number of pages4
JournalBritish Journal of Anaesthesia
Volume130
Issue number5
Early online date2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

Keywords

  • binary outcomes
  • fragility
  • randomised controlled trial
  • robustness
  • spin
  • trial design

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