Table 4

Overview of primary study selection: comparison of trials included as RCTs by IQWiG

Systematic review
Search date
Primary study* (database entry date)
Personal communication with review authors or other researchers at the publishing institutions






Joseph 2000 [20]
Ford 2002 [17]
Wanner 2003 [27]
Eginton 2003 [16]
Moues 2004 [23]



(CIN: 2000-08; C)
(M: 2002-07-27; E; C)
(M: 2003-03-11; E; C)
(M: 2003-10-10; E; C)
(M: 2004-02-21; E; C; CIN)


Reviews considering RCTs and non-RCTs







Costa/MUHC TAU 2005 [30]
3/2005
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
Eginton 2003. PC (V. Costa): "We classified the study as a crossover design. If I had to discern between RCT and non-RCT, I would consider it an RCT."

IQWiG 2006 [8]
5/2005
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
-

Pham/ASERNIP-S 2006 update/[31]
10/2004 (RCTs/non-RCTs) 7/2005 (RCTs)
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
-

Reviews considering RCTs







Samson/AHRQ 2004 [29]
6/2004
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
RCT
-

OHTAC 2006 [32]
3/2006
RCT
RCT
RCT
Not reported (PC: excluded)
RCT
Eginton 2003. PC (Medical Advisory Secretariat): "This citation was retrieved from the literature search, but was excluded as only 10 patients were enrolled. The exclusion was not documented in the HTA."

*Unless otherwise noted, the language of publication (abstract and full text) is English.

Databases containing primary studies (entry date in database: yyyy-mm-dd).

"Crossover; first treatment selected randomly"[30].

AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; ASERNIP-S: Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures – Surgical; C: The Cochrane Library; CIN: CINAHL; E: EMBASE; HTA: health technology assessment; IQWiG: Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care); M: MEDLINE; MUHC TAU: McGill University Health Centre Technology Assessment Unit; OHTAC: Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee; PC: personal communication; RCT: randomised controlled trial.

Peinemann et al. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2008 8:41   doi:10.1186/1471-2288-8-41