5. Docusate plus senna versus placebo plus senna.

Outcome or subgroup	Participants	Effect estimate*
Stool frequency	56	No statistically significant difference in the overall mean number of bowel movements per day between the docusate plus senna (x statistic = 0.74 (SD 0.47) and placebo plus senna groups (x statistic = 0.69, SD 0.37) (P value = 0.58)
Bowel movement on ≥ 50% of days	56	OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.17 to 1.57
Stool volume	56	Trialists reported no significant difference between trial arms in stool volume (P value = 0.06)
Stool consistency	56	Using the Bristol Stool Form Scale, more participants in the placebo plus senna group had Type 4 (smooth and soft) and Type 5 (soft blobs). In the docusate plus senna group, more participants had Type 3 (sausage, cracks in surface) and Type 6 (mushy stool) (P value = 0.01)
Participants' perceptions of the difficulty and completeness of defecation	56	No differences in reported difficulty in evacuation (13/40 in the docusate group versus 14/56 in the placebo group; OR 1.44; 95% CI 0.59 to 3.54). No difference in sense of completeness of evacuation (25/34 in the docustate plus senna group versus 44/56 in the placebo plus senna group ; OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.28 to 2.05)
Overall finding	‐	No difference in laxation response

* If data available and appropriate effect estimate is presented as an odds ratio (OR) or a mean difference (MD). If not available or appropriate then effect is reported as stated in the trial. SD: standard deviation.