Quality of Reporting of Randomized Clinical Trials in Tai Chi Interventions—A Systematic Review
2011

Quality of Reporting of Randomized Clinical Trials in Tai Chi Interventions

Sample size: 31 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Li Jing-Yi, Zhang Yuan-Fen, Smith Gordon S., Xue Chuan-Jiang, Luo Yan-Nan, Chen Wei-Heng, Skinner Craig J., Finkelstein Joseph

Primary Institution: University of Maryland School of Medicine

Hypothesis

How well do published randomized clinical trials in Tai Chi adhere to the CONSORT guidelines?

Conclusion

The reporting quality of Tai Chi intervention trials is sub-optimal, requiring substantial improvement to meet CONSORT guidelines.

Supporting Evidence

  • Only 23% of RCTs provided adequate details of Tai Chi intervention used in the trials.
  • Less than half of the trial reports provided a description of sequence generation.
  • Many trials did not satisfy more than half of the criteria in the modified CONSORT checklist.

Takeaway

This study looked at how well researchers report their Tai Chi trials. It found that many trials don't give enough details, making it hard to know if the results are trustworthy.

Methodology

The study reviewed 42 Tai Chi RCTs published from 1992 to 2007, focusing on reporting quality using a modified CONSORT checklist.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to inadequate reporting of randomization and blinding methods.

Limitations

The review did not evaluate trials published before 2002 and only included studies from MEDLINE and PUBMED.

Participant Demographics

The trials primarily involved older adults, but specific demographics were not detailed.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/ecam/nep022

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