Randomised clinical trials in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology

Abstract

Objective: To identify all reports of randomised clinical trials in the Journal and compare our findings with reports available in Medline. Methods: We handsearched the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology with supplements for the years 1955-1997 to identify reports of randomised clinical trials and controlled clinical trials. Results: We identified 445 trial reports. In Medline, 134 of these trials (30%) were indexed as randomised or controlled trials; an additional 50 trials (11%) were available in Medline but were indexed differently. Thus, 261 of the trials (59%) we identified were not indexed in Medline; most of these trials were published in supplements to the Journal. Conclusion: Handsearching of medical journals for randomised trials can be a worthwhile effort. Clinicians and patients will become better informed about the value of different treatment options and researchers will reduce their risk of performing trials that are unnecessary.