From: The external validity of published randomized controlled trials in primary care
Characteristic | Total Trials (%) | Trials That Reported Target Population | Trials That Reported Number of Patients Eligible |
---|---|---|---|
Total RCTs | 148 (100) | 103 (70) | 119 (80) |
Journal | |||
BMJ | 58 (39) | 44 (39) | 50 (42) |
British Journal of General Practice | 46 (31.0) | 31 (30) | 36 (30) |
Family Practice | 24 (16) | 17 (15) | 19 (16) |
Journal of Family Practice | 20 (14) | 11 (17) | 14 (12) |
Number of enrolees | |||
<100 | 48 (32) | 40 (39) | 44 (37) |
110–260 | 51 (34) | 31 (30) | 37 (31) |
260–650 | 24 (16) | 15 (15) | 19 (16) |
>650 | 25 (17) | 17 (17) | 19 (16) |
Multicentre | |||
Multiple | 116 (79) | 83 (81) | 94 (80) |
Single | 27 (18) | 16 (16) | 21 (18) |
Unclear | 4 (3) | 3 (3) | 3 (3) |
Funding Source | |||
Charity | 15 (13) | 10 (12) | 13 (14) |
Governing body | 5 (4) | 3 (4) | 3 (3) |
Government | 66 (57) | 55 (65) | 60 (63) |
Pharmaceutical Industry | 15 (12) | 8 (9) | 10 (10) |
Other | 14 (13) | 9 (11) | 10 (10) |
Intervention Studied | |||
Counselling/Lifestyle | 11 (8) | 8 (8) | 10 (8) |
Decision Support aids | 7 (5) | 6 (6) | 7 (6) |
Educational | 26 (18) | 21 (21) | 23 (14) |
Pharmaceutical therapy | 23 (16) | 9 (9) | 11 (9) |
Surgery/procedure | 3 (2.0) | 3 (3) | 3 (3) |
Other | 76 (52) | 55 (54) | 64 (54) |