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Cited by 258Meta-analysis and systematic reviewsStatistical Methods in Clinical TrialsPharmaceutical industry and healthcare

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Physician Interpretations and Textbook Definitions of Blinding Terminology in Randomized Controlled Trials

Devereaux, P. J.·2001·JAMA
DOI 10.1001/jama.285.15.2000
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Abstract

CONTEXT: When clinicians assess the validity of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), they commonly evaluate the blinding status of individuals in the RCT. The terminology authors often use to convey blinding status (single, double, and triple blinding) may be open to various interpretations. OBJECTIVE: To determine physician interpretations and textbook definitions of RCT blinding terms. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational study undertaken at 3 Canadian university tertiary care centers between February and May 1999. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-one internal medicine physicians who responded to a survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondents identified which of the following groups they thought were blinded in single-, double-, and triple-blinded RCTs: participants, health care providers, data collectors, judicial assessors of outcomes, data analysts, and personnel who write the article. Definitions from 25 systematically identified textbooks published since 1990 providing definitions for single, double, or triple blinding. RESULTS: Physician respondents identified 10, 17, and 15 unique interpretations of single, double, and triple blinding, respectively, and textbooks provided 5, 9, and 7 different definitions of each. The frequencies of the most common physician interpretation and textbook definition were 75% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65%-83%) and 74% (95% CI, 52%-90%) for single blinding, 38% (95% CI, 28%-49%) and 43% (95% CI, 24%-63%) for double blinding, and 18% (95% CI, 10%-28%) and 14% (95% CI, 0%-58%) for triple blinding, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that both physicians and textbooks vary greatly in their interpretations and definitions of single, double, and triple blinding. Explicit statements about the blinding status of specific groups involved in RCTs should replace the current ambiguous terminology.

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Metadata

Authors
Devereaux, P. J.
Affiliations
McMaster University (CA)
Corresponding author
Devereaux, P. J.
ORCID
Devereaux, P. J.
Venue
JAMA
Publisher
American Medical Association (AMA)
Published
2001-04-18
Volume
285
Issue
15
Pages
2000
ISSN
  • 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
  • 0098-7484
DOI
10.1001/jama.285.15.2000
OpenAlex
W2033289105
Cited by
258
References
34
Citations by year
2025: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 16
FWCI
26.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • JAMA (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Issues, ethics and legal aspects › Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare
Keywords
blinding, double blinding, triple blinding, randomized controlled trials, physician interpretation, textbook definitions, trial validity, internists
MeSH terms
Double-Blind Method, Terminology as Topic, Publishing, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Single-Blind Method

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