Dissemination of clinical trial results by leading academic medical centres in the United States remains poor, despite ethical obligations – and sometimes statutory requirements – to publish findings and report results in a timely manner, concludes a study in The BMJ this week.
Researchers found that only 29% of completed clinical trials led by investigators at major US academic centers were published within two years of completion and only 13% reported results on the largest clinical trial registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
They say action is needed to rectify this lack of timely reporting and publication, “as they impair the research enterprise and threaten to undermine evidence based clinical decision making.”
Randomized clinical trials are the ideal means for evaluating the efficacy and safety of medical drugs and devices.