Table 1.
Characteristics of the trials included in the review
| Characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Trial design (n=151) | |
| Parallel | 129 (85) |
| Factorial | 10 (7) |
| Crossover | 1 (1) |
| Other (patient preference/Zelen's) | 11 (7) |
| Arms (n=151) | |
| 2 | 101 (67) |
| 3 | 30 (21) |
| 4 | 13 (9) |
| >4 | 7 (5) |
| Clinical area (n=151) | |
| Cancer/oncology | 8 (5) |
| Mental health | 27 (18) |
| Musculoskeletal | 19 (13) |
| Obstetrics and gynaecology | 9 (6) |
| Primary care | 7 (5) |
| Cardiovascular | 12 (8) |
| Gastrointestinal | 6 (4) |
| Respiratory | 14 (9) |
| Stroke | 4 (3) |
| Diabetes | 4 (3) |
| Dermatology (including ulcers) | 10 (7) |
| Other* | 31 (21) |
| Setting (n=151) | |
| Hospital | 82 (54) |
| General practice | 20 (13) |
| Mixed | 25 (17) |
| Community | 16 (11) |
| Other† | 8 (5) |
| Intervention type (n=151) | |
| Drug intervention | 37 (25) |
| Therapy | 36 (24) |
| Surgery | 19 (13) |
| Complex intervention | 13 (9) |
| Other‡ | 46 (30) |
| Control type (n=151) | |
| Placebo | 30 (20) |
| Active | 121 (80) |
| Patient blinded? (n=147) | |
| No | 29 (19) |
| Yes | 118 (79) |
| Centres outside the UK? (n=151) | |
| No | 138 (91) |
| Yes | 13 (9) |
| Geographical spread (n=148) | |
| Multiple regions | 119 (80) |
| Regional | 29 (20) |
| Some form of pilot§? | |
| Yes | 59 (41) |
| No | 87 (60) |
| Not stated | 5 (3) |
*Alcohol abuse, chronic fatigue, nutrition, infectious diseases, paediatric (general, dermatology, anaesthesiology), gerontology, hepatology (hepatitis C), intensive care, multiple sclerosis, minor surgery, neurology (Bell's palsy, cerebral palsy epilepsy), neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, physical exercise, rehabilitation, resuscitation, sleep disorders, speech therapy, urology (general, urinary tract infections, incontinence, prostate disorders), vascular.
†HIV Clinical Centres, University Clinics, Sexual Health Clinics, Primary and Secondary Strike Care service, Intellectual Disability Services, Public Schools, Leisure Centres, Physical Therapy Classes and Specialist care centres.
‡Technique, equipment, diagnostic intervention, advice and information, consultation, patient pathway, drug versus surgery, health professional.
§Any mention of pilot work or feasibility study recorded.