| Methods |
Study design: randomised controlled study. Object of randomisation: procedures. |
| Participants |
UK. Surgeons performing caesarean sections, closing the uterine wound. Number studied: 80 procedures. Sizes of intervention or control group not reported but assumed to be 40 and 40 surgeon‐operations. Glove change not reported. |
| Interventions |
Use of blunt‐tipped needles. Control group used sharp‐tipped needles. |
| Outcomes |
Outcome: percentage of perforated gloves. Detection method not reported but we assumed that this was the combined air and water method developed by one of the authors. |
| Notes |
We used the number of perforated gloves per total number of procedures as outcome. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
a random allocated study |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
not reported |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
not reported; blinding to type of needle is impossible for surgeons |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
not reported |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
not reported |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Unclear risk |
no description in methods |
| Other bias |
High risk |
The study design made 160 patients desirable but due to surgeons preference at that time only 80 patients were enrolled |
