AI Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate how often and to what extent linguistic spin occurs in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), along with examining the relationship between study variables and linguistic spin.
- A total of 96 RCTs were reviewed from PubMed, revealing that 63.5% of the abstracts and 93.8% of the main texts contained linguistic spin, particularly in the use of words suggesting treatment benefits and terms like "statistically significant" without proper statistical reporting.
- The findings indicated a significant prevalence of linguistic spin and underscored the need for more objective reporting in medical literature, highlighting the importance of awareness for ophthalmologists and readers regarding
Article Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, type and extent of linguistic spin in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring interventions in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as to investigate whether study variables were correlated with linguistic spin.
Study Design And Setting: PubMed was searched from 2011 to 2020 to identify RCTs including patients with AMD. Two authors independently assessed a total of 96 RCTs. Linear regression analyses were performed to investigate whether linguistic spin was correlated with predefined study variables.
Results: Linguistic spin was found in 61 of 96 abstracts (63.5%) and in 90 of 96 main texts (93.8%). Use of words pointing out the beneficial effect of a treatment and the use of '(statistically) significant/significance' without reporting a -value or a 95% confidence interval (CI) were the most frequently identified categories of linguistic spin. Sample size was significantly correlated with the total linguistic spin score (95% CI 0.38-5.23, = 0.02).
Conclusion: A high prevalence and extent of linguistic spin in RCTs about AMD was found. We highlighted the importance of objective reporting and awareness of linguistic spin among ophthalmologists and other readers.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10910936 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2022.961996 | DOI Listing |
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