Table 3.
Article quality scoring using a scoring method adapted from Downs and Black3
| No. | Brief Item Description | Mckelvey et al16 | Balon et al5 | Graham and Pistolese10 | Bronfort et al8 | Nielsen et al17 | Leboeuf-Yde et al14 | Gibbs9 | Green11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypothesis/aim/objective described? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Main outcomes to be measured described? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Characteristics of patients described? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Interventions of interest clearly described? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Distributions of confounders described? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Main findings clearly described? | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Estimates of random variability in data? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Important adverse events reported? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Described patients lost to follow-up? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Actual probability values reported except where P value <.001? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Subjects asked to participate representative of population? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Subjects prepared to participate representative of population? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Staff, places, and facilities representative of treatment majority of patients receive? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Attempt made to blind subjects? | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Attempt made to blind those measuring the outcomes to intervention? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Any of the results based on “data dredging,” was this made clear? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Analyses adjust for different lengths of follow-up of patients, or is time period between the intervention and outcome the same for cases and controls? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Statistical tests appropriate? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Compliance with treatments reliable? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Outcome measures valid/reliable? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Patients in intervention groups or cases and controls recruited from same population? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Subjects in different intervention groups or cases and controls recruited over same period? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Subjects randomized to groups? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Randomized assignments concealed until recruitment was complete? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Adjustment for confounding in analyses? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Losses to follow-up accounted for? | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Sufficient power to detect clinically important effect where P value for difference due to chance is < 5% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Score (/27) | 7 | 22 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 5 |