Methodological limitations prevent definitive conclusions on the effects of patients' preferences in randomized clinical trials evaluating musculoskeletal conditions.

Objective: To systematically and critically evaluate how patients' preferences have been measured and analyzed in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating musculoskeletal conditions.

Study Design And Settings: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, CINAHL, LILACS, and PEDro were searched for RCTs in which authors reported that patients' preferences were measured before randomization.

Results: Five studies investigated if patients' preferences modify treatment effect (difference in outcomes between allocation groups), and seven studies examined the effect of patients' preferences on outcomes (within-group changes in outcome over time).