Registering clinical trials

Transparency of Research Methods: Proud to be a Naked Emperor

“…Being aware of potential pitfalls, setting clear policy about publication guidelines, encouraging clinical trials to be recognized through registration/publication, and promoting honest reporting in the health care literature may help to improve transparency. 2,4,6 In spite of the risks that are inherent to transparency, we need to consider what might happen if we do not take this risk. Ultimately, we should consider being honored to be a naked emperor by encouraging transparency of publication.…”

“…Clinicians, policy makers, scientists, and patients may make better informed decisions knowing if a procedure or technique has no advantage over another, if it is not as good as another, or if it is harmful. 2,6 Whittington et al 11 showed the potentially devastating results of not publishing research findings. Their investigation compared published and unpublished data of pediatric antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors clinical trial data.…”

“…If this occurs, the results of such a study would be unknown and inaccessible. 6 Alternatively, a researcher may be pressured into modifying study results so that the results appear positive, when in reality, they are not (eg, through data alteration, changing the research hypothesis, including only subsets of data, etc).…”

Rules of engagement

“…There many academic laboratories have become akin to small businesses in continually having to obtain collaborative projects as a means of generating income (Institute of Medicine National Research Council 2002). Additionally, university concerns to safeguard intellectual capital and patent rights -either in their own interest or at the behest of industry partners -has often meant an ethos of transparency and collegiality has given way to one of competition and secrecy (Tonks 1999). The article therefore offers a stakeholder perspective on the relationship to stimulate discussion, to evaluate existing protocols and develop new ones and to propose an ongoing research agenda.…”

Transparencia en la investigación clínica: registro de los ensayos clínicos y publicación de resultados

“…Registrar un EC consiste en poner a disposició n del pú blico esta informació n bá sica desde el inicio del estudio 24,25 .…”