%0 Journal Article
%T Helping editors, peer reviewers and authors improve the clarity, completeness and transparency of reporting health research
%A David Moher
%A Iveta Simera
%A Kenneth F Schulz
%A John Hoey
%A Douglas G Altman
%J BMC Medicine
%D 2008
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1741-7015-6-13
%X Mental health continues to be a major health concern in many parts of the world. It is estimated that 5% to 10% of people are affected by depression [1]. In 2006 the United States National Institutes of Health spent US$335 million on research into depression. Yet reports of randomized trials evaluating interventions to optimally manage individuals with depression are disturbingly inadequate, likely making their results of limited use to healthcare professionals, other decision makers and patients. Hotopf and colleagues [2] examined reports of 122 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating medical interventions for managing individuals with depression and found that only one provided any details about the randomization process used. Empirical evidence shows that inadequate reporting of randomization, a core feature of any randomized trial, is associated with biased estimates of the treatment effect of the order of 20% [3]. Such problems are not unique to reports from depression trials. Inadequate reporting is pervasive to almost every area of health research [4-6]. Without complete, clear and transparent reports, readers cannot judge the reliability and usefulness of health research.In the late 1970s the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) published reporting guides for authors. These were limited only to formatting issues [7] although later the ICJME developed the 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals' with a much broader scope [8]. Other efforts have also been made [9,10] although few focused on reporting the design, conduct and analysis of health research. In the mid-1990s the CONSORT Statement, a 22-item checklist and flow diagram, provided what might be considered the first reporting guideline focusing on what should be included in scientific reports of RCTs [11]. Evidence shows that use of CONSORT improves the quality of reporting of RCTs [12]. Journals increasingly find the CONSORT reporting guideline
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/6/13