Froud, Robert, Underwood, Martin, Carnes, Dawn and Eldridge, Sandra. (2012) Clinicians' perceptions of reporting methods for back pain trials : a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice, Vol.62 (No.596). pp. 151-159. ISSN 0960-1643

Abstract

Background: How outcomes of clinical trials are reported alters the way treatment effectiveness is perceived: clinicians interpret the outcomes of trialsmore favourably when results are presented in relative (such as risk ratio) rather than absolute terms (such as risk reduction). However, it is unclear whichmethods clinicians find easiest to interpret and use in decisionmaking. Aim: To explore whichmethods for reporting back pain trials clinicians find clearest andmost interpretable and useful to decisionmaking. Design and setting: Indepth interviews with clinicians at clinical practices/research centre. Method: Clinicians were purposively sampled by professional discipline, sex, age, and practice setting. They were presented with several different summaries of the results of the same hypothetical trial. Each summary used a different reportingmethod, and the study explored participants' preferences for eachmethod and how they would like to see future trials reported. Results: The 14 clinicians interviewed (comprising GPs, manual therapists, psychologists, a rheumatologist, and surgeons) stated that clinical trial reports were not written with theminmind. They were familiar withmean differences, proportion improved, and numbers needed to treat (NNT), but unfamiliar with standardised mean differences, odds ratios, and relative risks (RRs). They found the proportion improved, RR, and NNTmost intuitively understandable, and thought reporting between-groupmean differences, RRs, and odds ratios couldmislead. Conclusion: Clinicians stated that additional reporting methods facilitate the interpretation of trial results, and using a variety ofmethods would make results easier to interpret in context and incorporate into practice. Authors of future back pain trials should report data in a format that is accessible to clinicians. ©British Journal of General Practice.

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