| Methods |
Allocation: randomised (serially numbered opaque envelopes).
Blindness: all staff and researchers blind to allocation, participants either uncertain of intervention or knew receiving IP.
Duration: 30 days after CABG.
Consent: given. |
| Participants |
Diagnosis: people scheduled to receive non‐emergency CABG.
N=1802.
Age: >18 years, mean ˜ 63 years.
Sex: 1293M, 509F.
Exclusions: scheduled for emergent CABG, CABG more than 14 days after enrolment, other planned surgery within 30 days of CABG, minimally invasive CABG, ongoing chest pain, unstable angina or CABG with planned valve replacement, stent, angioplasty or carotid endarterectomy. |
| Interventions |
1. Intercessory prayer: standard care + IP with participants uncertain if receiving IP (daily prayer by 3 Christian groups given specific phrase to add onto to their study prayer). N=604.
2. Intercessory prayer: standard care + IP with participants aware receiving IP (prayer as above). N=601.
3. Standard care: standard care + participants uncertain if receiving IP. N=597. |
| Outcomes |
Death.
Clinical state: major event, complications.
Service use: re‐admission to hospital.
Leaving the study early. |
| Notes |
|
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Randomised ‐ no further details. |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Opaque envelopes. |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Carers and researchers unaware of group of allocation. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Clearly described. |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
Reporting rather un‐selective, too many outcomes reported. |
| Other bias |
High risk |
Several authors worked in institutions likely to be sympathetic to positive outcome of prayer. |
