This month: publication bias
What is publication bias?
A type of bias that occurs when the outcome of an experiment or research study influences the decision of whether to publish or otherwise distribute it.
Has it been in the news?
It made headlines after the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee stated that, despite repeated warnings, not enough is being done to make sure the results of all clinical trials are reported.
How many clinical trials are going unreported?
A recent BMJ paper indicates that only 49% of recent research trails that should have reported their results have done so.
What is meant to happen?
Under EU rules, all trials on the European Union Clinical Trials Register should post results within 12 months of completion, but this has not been the case.
What’s wrong with not reporting results?
The results of clinical trials are used to make real-world decisions about which treatments work best. Informed choices can’t be made if the results of clinical trials are withheld from doctors, researchers, and patients.
What is the worst-case scenario of withholding results?
The government committee reported that in some cases it could endanger human life and cited the example of the anti-arrhythmic drug lorcainide, which was tested in 1980.
What’s the story there?
Clinical trial results showed that people who were taking the drug were more likely to die than those who were not. However, the findings were not published until 1993 – long the drug was made available to patients in the US.
What will happen now?
MPs have called for The NHS Health Research Authority to produce a strategy for fixing this problem.
Picture credit | iStock