Cited by 300Meta-analysis and systematic reviewsStatistical Methods in Clinical TrialsAdvanced Causal Inference Techniques

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Impact of blinding on estimated treatment effects in randomised clinical trials: meta-epidemiological study

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Moustgaard, Helene, Clayton, Gemma L, Jones, Hayley E, Boutron, Isabelle, Jørgensen, Lars, Laursen, David R T, Olsen, Mette F, Paludan-Müller, Asger, Ravaud, Philippe, Savović, Jelena, Sterne, Jonathan A C, Higgins, Julian P T, Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn·2020·BMJ

DOI 10.1136/bmj.l6802PMC PMC7190062

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Abstract

Objectives: To study the impact of blinding on estimated treatment effects, and their variation between trials; differentiating between blinding of patients, healthcare providers, and observers; detection bias and performance bias; and types of outcome (the MetaBLIND study). Design: Meta-epidemiological study. Data source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2013-14). Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Meta-analyses with both blinded and non-blinded trials on any topic. Review methods: Blinding status was retrieved from trial publications and authors, and results retrieved automatically from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Bayesian hierarchical models estimated the average ratio of odds ratios (ROR), and estimated the increases in heterogeneity between trials, for non-blinded trials (or of unclear status) versus blinded trials. Secondary analyses adjusted for adequacy of concealment of allocation, attrition, and trial size, and explored the association between outcome subjectivity (high, moderate, low) and average bias. An ROR lower than 1 indicated exaggerated effect estimates in trials without blinding. Results: The study included 142 meta-analyses (1153 trials). The ROR for lack of blinding of patients was 0.91 (95% credible interval 0.61 to 1.34) in 18 meta-analyses with patient reported outcomes, and 0.98 (0.69 to 1.39) in 14 meta-analyses with outcomes reported by blinded observers. The ROR for lack of blinding of healthcare providers was 1.01 (0.84 to 1.19) in 29 meta-analyses with healthcare provider decision outcomes (eg, readmissions), and 0.97 (0.64 to 1.45) in 13 meta-analyses with outcomes reported by blinded patients or observers. The ROR for lack of blinding of observers was 1.01 (0.86 to 1.18) in 46 meta-analyses with subjective observer reported outcomes, with no clear impact of degree of subjectivity. Information was insufficient to determine whether lack of blinding was associated with increased heterogeneity between trials. The ROR for trials not reported as double blind versus those that were double blind was 1.02 (0.90 to 1.13) in 74 meta-analyses. Conclusion: No evidence was found for an average difference in estimated treatment effect between trials with and without blinded patients, healthcare providers, or outcome assessors. These results could reflect that blinding is less important than often believed or meta-epidemiological study limitations, such as residual confounding or imprecision. At this stage, replication of this study is suggested and blinding should remain a methodological safeguard in trials.

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“17 Similarly, a systematic review of 12 trials randomising patients to blinded and non-blinded substudies reported a pronounced bias due to lack of patient blinding in complementary/ alternative medicine trials with patient reported outcomes, exaggerating effect sizes by 0.56 standard deviations.”
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Background
Empirical meropenem versus piperacillin/tazobactam for adult patients with sepsis ( EMPRESS ) trial: Protocol
Granholm, A., Munch, M. W., Meier, N. F., Sjövall, F., Helleberg, M., Hertz, F. B., Kaas‐Hansen, B. S., Thorsen‐Meyer, H., Andersen, L. W., Rasmussen, B. S., et al. (2024) · Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/aas.14441 · Cited by 6
Favipiravir for COVID-19 in adults in the community in PRINCIPLE, an open-label, randomised, controlled, adaptive platform trial of short- and longer-term outcomes
Hobbs, R. F., Gbinigie, O. A., Shanyinde, M., Yu, L., Harris, V., Dorward, J., Hayward, G., Saville, B. R., Berry, N., Evans, P. H., et al. (2024) · Journal of Infection · doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2024.106248 · Cited by 8
Bias in Hand Surgical Randomized Controlled Trials: Systematic Review and Meta-Epidemiological Study
Heikkinen, J., Jokihaara, J., De, S. D., Jaatinen, K., Buchbinder, R., & Karjalainen, T. (2022) · The Journal Of Hand Surgery · doi:10.1016/j.jhsa.2022.01.027 · Cited by 6
Mobile app to support home exercise adherence in knee osteoarthritis: A randomized clinical trial
Hinman, R. S., Nelligan, R. K., Campbell, P. K., Li, P., Lamb, K. E., Stratulate, S., Kimp, A. J., Mok, Y. F., Graham, B., Merolli, M., et al. (2025) · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage · doi:10.1016/j.joca.2025.12.012 · Cited by 7
Detection bias in open-label trials of anticancer drugs: a meta-epidemiological study
Funada, S., Luo, Y., Kataoka, Y., Yoshioka, T., Fujita, Y., Yoshida, S., Katsura, M., Tada, M., Nishioka, N., Nakamura, Y., et al. (2023) · BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine · doi:10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112332 · Cited by 4
Therapeutic effects of mobilization in alleviating pain and improving shoulder mobility in adhesive capsulitis – A systematic review
Shahzad, A., Azhar, M. A., Zafar, H., Khan, M. A., & Shakir, S. (2024) · Journal of Musculoskeletal Surgery and Research · doi:10.25259/jmsr_54_2024 · Cited by 7
The Effects of Mindfulness‐Based Intervention on Cognitive Functions in Tertiary Students: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Jong, F. J. X., Ng, A. L. O., Phang, C. K., Omran, S., & Teoh, S. L. (2025) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.70056 · Cited by 8
Resorbable Bio‐Inductive Collagen Implant for Rotator Cuff Repair: What We Know, What We Need to Know, and the Path Forward
Tian, J., Ding, F., Wang, Z., Niu, M., Liu, C., Ye, Z., Chen, H., Wu, C., Yi, S., Fan, Y., et al. (2025) · Orthopaedic Surgery · doi:10.1111/os.70141 · Cited by 5
“It is therefore recommended that in future research, blinding should be implemented as much as possible during the trials to reduce bias, and detailed information should be reported to improve the transparency of the research [65].”
Stem Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Crohn's Disease; Current Obstacles and Future Hopes
El-Nakeep, S. A. K. (2021) · Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy · doi:10.2174/1574888x16666210910112403 · Cited by 5
Calreticulin Expression in Human Carcinomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Palaçon, M. P., Ferrisse, T. M., Barbeiro, C. D. O., Massucato, E. M. S., & Bufalino, A. (2023) · Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention · doi:10.31557/apjcp.2023.24.9.2929 · Cited by 5
“Blinding procedures are also relevant tools to eliminate biases related to estimated treatment effects (Moustgaard et al., 2020).”
Background
Short-term and long-term effectiveness of acupuncture and Tuina on knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Zhao, R.-L., Ma, P., Liu, B., Yu, C., Zhang, H., Lv, Q., Yang, D., Yang, Y., Liu, H., Wang, F., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1301217 · Cited by 5
Incorrect blinding assessments are common in meta‐analyses published in high impact journals
Kuitunen, I., Ponkilainen, V., & Uimonen, M. (2024) · Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine · doi:10.1111/jebm.12636 · Cited by 5
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of different antihypertensive drug classes for cardiovascular disease prevention: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Jussil, H., Chaimani, A., Carlberg, B., & Brunström, M. (2021) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044302 · Cited by 5
Blinding Assessment
Kim, J., Park, J. J., Bang, H., & Kolahi, J. (2021) · Dental Hypotheses · doi:10.4103/denthyp.denthyp_99_21 · Cited by 5
Is laparoscopic excision for superficial peritoneal endometriosis helpful or harmful? Protocol for a double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled, three-armed surgical trial
Marschall, H., Forman, A., Lunde, S. J., Kesmodel, U. S., Hansen, K. E., & Vase, L. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062808 · Cited by 5
“17 21 Although a meta-epidemiological study indicated no link between blinding and treatment effect, 22 potentially suggesting that blinding may not be as important for unbiased results as presumed, the study included only two surgical trials.”
Result
Designs used in published therapeutic studies of rare superficial vascular anomalies: a systematic literature search
Allemang‐Trivalle, A., Leducq, S., Maruani, A., & Giraudeau, B. (2023) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-023-02017-0 · Cited by 5
“…the treatment effect), selection bias [141, 142] (whereby patients receiving the experimental treat-ment are selected from a pool of “good responders”, thus resulting in an overestimation of the treatment effect), performance, and detection bias [143, 144] (because there is no blinding).”
Background
A smartphone app-based intervention combined with face-to-face sessions for alcohol dependence at internal medicine clinics: A randomized controlled trial
Miyake, N., So, R., Kariyama, K., Itagaki, Y., Yamagishi, T., Wakuta, A., Nishimura, M., Murakami, S., Ogawa, M., Takebayashi, Y., et al. (2024) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.07.003 · Cited by 4
The effect of antenatal hypnosis training on pharmacological analgesia use during labour and birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Lai, M., Wong, M. M., Kearney, L. N., & Lee, N. (2024) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2024.104113 · Cited by 5
Sterile water injections for managing abdominal labour contraction pain: A randomised double blind placebo-controlled trial
Lee, N., Mårtensson, L. B., Gao, Y., Callaway, L. K., Barnett, B., Hellyer, S., Kearney, L. N., & Kildea, S. V. (2025) · International Journal of Nursing Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2025.105244 · Cited by 4
“However, the impact of bias from unblinded assessors remains contentious with some studies reporting significant effects while other suggest minimal to no threats to data accuracy (Hr ´ objartsson et al., 2012; Moustgaard et al., 2020).”
Antibiotics for hospital-acquired pneumonia in neonates and children
Korang, S. K., Nava, C., Nygaard, U., & Jakobsen, J. C. (2021) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd013864 · Cited by 4
The impact of blinding on estimated treatment effects in randomized clinical trials on acupuncture: A meta‐epidemiological study
Long, Y., Zhang, N., Wang, X., Tang, R., Guo, Q., Huang, J., & Du, L. (2024) · Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine · doi:10.1111/jebm.12589 · Cited by 4
Comparison of Methods for Short-Segment Posterior Stabilization of Lumbar Spine Fractures and Thoracolumbar Junction
Tomczyk‐Warunek, A., Kłapeć, M., Blicharski, R., Dresler, S., Sowa, I., Gieleta, A. W., Skrzypek, T., Lis, M., Kazimierczak, W., & Blicharski, T. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm13237318 · Cited by 4
To blind or not to blind first in human and exploratory clinical trials: Acceleration of development vs. risk of bias
Haertter, S., Kanodia, J., Cook, J., Alicea, J., Brennan, B. J., Desai, A. V., Patel, B., Pan, L., & Goteti, K. (2021) · Clinical and Translational Science · doi:10.1111/cts.13200 · Cited by 4
Topical or oral antibiotics for children with acute otitis media presenting with ear discharge: study protocol of a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial
Hullegie, S., Venekamp, R. P., van Dongen, T. M. A., Mulder, S., van Schaik, W., de Wit, G. A., Hay, A. D., Little, P. S., Moore, M. V., Sanders, E. A. M., et al. (2021) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052128 · Cited by 4
Estimating the effect of COVID-19 on trial design characteristics: a registered report
Smith, J. A., DeVito, N., Lee, H., Tiplady, C., Abhari, R. E., & Kartsonaki, C. (2023) · Royal Society Open Science · doi:10.1098/rsos.201543 · Cited by 3
“There is also uncertainty about the importance of blinding in trials [33].”
Background
Democratising the design and delivery of large-scale randomised, controlled clinical trials in primary care: A personal view
Butler, C. (2024) · European Journal of General Practice · doi:10.1080/13814788.2023.2293702 · Cited by 6
“Participants receiving a study intervention, regardless of whether it is an active treat-ment or placebo, are likely to alter their health-seeking behaviour in response to this uncertainty [21], and effect sizes from open trials do not differ meaningfully from placebo-controlled trials [22].”
Trial characteristics and treatment effect estimates in randomized controlled trials of Chinese herbal medicine: A meta-epidemiological study
Wang, B. H., Lin, Y., Gao, Y., Song, J., Qin, L., Li, L., Liu, W., Zhong, C. C., Jiang, M. Y., Mao, C., et al. (2024) · Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.joim.2024.04.003 · Cited by 3
tREatment of trIaNgular FibrOcaRtilage ComplEx Ruptures (REINFORCER): protocol for randomised, controlled, blinded, efficacy trial of triangular fibrocartilage complex tears
Kaivorinne, A., Räisänen, M. P., Karjalainen, T., Jokihaara, J., Gvozdenovic, R., Wilcke, M., Reito, A. R., Anttila, T., Pönkkö, A., Lauridsen, C. A., et al. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086102 · Cited by 3
The Impact of Diclofenac Suppositories on Post‐Cesarean Section Pain: A Systematic Literature Review
Antwi, S. A., Antwi, P. K. A., Adarkwa, S. A., Mensah, K. B., & Woode, E. (2025) · Anesthesiology Research and Practice · doi:10.1155/anrp/5457722 · Cited by 4
Efficacy and safety of a digital therapeutic for alcohol dependence: A multicenter, open‐label, randomized controlled trial
So, R., Nouso, K., Matsushita, S., Yoshiji, H., Yuzuriha, T., Hida, E., Nishimura, H., Takagi, Y., & Horie, Y. (2025) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1111/pcn.13874 · Cited by 3
“47 Third, as discussed previously, a greater change in outcomes was observed in our control group, possibly due to the effects of daily drinking records using the app together with the sustained adherence reminders throughout the treatment period, compared to previous pill placebo trials with…”
The potential of gardening and other plant‐related interventions to reduce symptoms of depression: A systematic review of non‐randomized controlled trials and uncontrolled studies
Rosa, C. D., Chaves, T. S., Collado, S., Larson, L. R., Lee, K. J., & Profice, C. C. (2024) · People and Nature · doi:10.1002/pan3.10764 · Cited by 3
Characteristics of exercise and rehabilitation intervention clinical trials registered with Clinical Research Information Service: a review
Lim, J., Kim, B.-G., & Choi, A.-S. (2025) · Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation · doi:10.12965/jer.2448676.338 · Cited by 2
“…that, although no statistically significant difference was found in effect size comparisons and relationship analyses based on the presence or absence of blinding, blinding should still be maintained as a methodological safeguard in trials (Armijo-Olivo et al., 2017; Moustgaard et al., 2020).”
Effectiveness of analgesic ear drops as add-on treatment to oral analgesics in children with acute otitis media: study protocol of the OPTIMA pragmatic randomised controlled trial
de Sévaux, J. L. H., Damoiseaux, R. A. M. J., Hullegie, S., Sanders, E. A. M., de Wit, G. A., Zuithoff, N. P. A., Yardley, L., Anthierens, S., Little, P. S., Hay, A. D., et al. (2023) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062071 · Cited by 3
MetAAA trial patients show superior quality of life compared to patients under regular surveillance for small AAA: a single-center retrospective cohort study
Klopf, J., Willixhofer, R., Scheuba, A., Fuchs, L., Sotir, A., Wanhainen, A., Brostjan, C., Neumayer, C., & Eilenberg, W. H. (2023) · International Journal of Surgery · doi:10.1097/js9.0000000000000343 · Cited by 3
“Interestingly, a recent study analyzing 142 meta-analyses revealed no evidence for an average difference in estimated treatment effect between trials with and without blinded patients, healthcare providers, or outcome assessors([37]).”
Background
Introducing the LATITUDES network: a library of assessment tools and training to improve transparency, utility and dissemination in evidence synthesis
Whiting, P. F., Wolff, R. F., Savović, J., Devine, B., & Mallett, S. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111486 · Cited by 3
Self-citation
Sensor‐derived glycaemic metrics in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes randomised to faster acting insulin aspart or insulin aspart—A secondary analysis of the CopenFast trial
Søholm, J. C., Nørgaard, S. K., Nørgaard, K., Clausen, T. D., Damm, P., Mathiesen, E. R., & Ringholm, L. (2024) · Diabetic Medicine · doi:10.1111/dme.15467 · Cited by 3
Stabilization Splint Therapy for Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders Improves Opening Movements and Jaw Limitation and Attenuates Pain by Influencing the Levels of IL-7, IL-8, and IL-13 in the Gingival Crevicular Fluid
Sikora, R., Duspara, K., Matić, A., Petrović, A., Kralik, K., Smolić, R., Šikora, M., Šarac, M. Č., Bojanić, K., & Smolić, M. (2025) · Medicina · doi:10.3390/medicina61030375 · Cited by 3
“Also, a recent study suggested that blinding is less important than is often assumed [59]; however, replicating our study with blinding as a methodological safety measure would be valuable to perform in the future.”
Natural unblinding of BCG vaccination trials
Szigeti, R. G., & Kellermayer, R. (2021) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.039 · Cited by 3
“Lack of appropriate blinding in randomized clinical trials may lead to significant bias [7–9], although this dogma has been recently challenged [7,10,11].”
Background
Success of Masking 5% Povidone‐Iodine Treatment: The Reducing Adenoviral Patient Infected Days Study
Whiteside, M. M., Shorter, E. S., Margolis, M. S., Alvi, F., Huecker, J. B., Than, T. P., Migneco, M. K., Harthan, J., Morettin, C. E., Hartwick, A. T. E., et al. (2021) · Optometry and Vision Science · doi:10.1097/opx.0000000000001691 · Cited by 3
Assessing the Risk of Bias in Randomized Trials
Page, M. J., Altman, D. G., & Egger, M. (2022) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119099369.ch4 · Cited by 3
Impact of procedural variability and study design quality on the efficacy of cell-based therapies for heart failure - a meta-analysis
Xu, Z.-Y., Neuber, S., Nazari‐Shafti, T. Z., Liu, Z., Dong, F., & Stamm, C. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261462 · Cited by 2
Protecting blinded trials in electronic hospital systems
Sydes, M. R., Wong, W. K., Bakhai, A., Joffe, N., & Love, S. (2022) · Clinical Trials · doi:10.1177/17407745211069985 · Cited by 2
Progesterone Luteal Support in Natural Cycles for Unexplained Infertility: A Randomised Controlled Trial (The PiNC Trial)
Raperport, C., Chronopoulou, E., Petrie, A., Homburg, R., Timlick, E., Barhate, S., Sackett, K., & Bhide, P. (2025) · BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · doi:10.1111/1471-0528.18171 · Cited by 2
Effects of online mindful stretching exercises for loneliness, mindfulness, and hair cortisol: A mixed method study
Jong, F. J. X., Lee, C. C. W., Ting, R. S., Lin, M., Ong, L. K., Quek, X. F., Lee, S. W. H., Ng, A. L. O., & Teoh, S. L. (2025) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2025.103204 · Cited by 3
Abatacept versus hydroxychloroquine for prevention of rheumatoid arthritis in individuals with palindromic rheumatism: a randomized open-label trial
Sanmartí, R., Pérez-García, C., Toro, F. J. D., Salvador, G., Escudero-Contreras, A., Cuervo, A. M., Graell, E., Reina, D., Kanterewicz, E., Corominas, H., et al. (2026) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04395-6 · Cited by 2
“Although blinding is a necessary methodological safeguard of a clinical trial, for some authors blinding could have less of an impact on trials using an active comparator and those aimed at determining an intention-to-treat effect 30 , such as in our trial.”
Exercise Therapy and Education for Young Adults With Persistent Knee Problems After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Culvenor, A. G., Bruder, A. M., West, T., Barton, C. J., Roos, E. M., Oei, E. H. G., McPhail, S., Souza, R. B., Lee, J., Patterson, B., et al. (2026) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/annals-26-02460 · Cited by 2
Treating ocular surface disease – A daily experience
Novack, G. D. (2020) · The Ocular Surface · doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2020.02.001 · Cited by 2
Effect of nitrate supplementation on oxygen saturation levels for acute mountain sickness prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Nafi'an, M. R. T., Sabirin, R. M., Wibowo, R. A., Sofyana, M., Zahra, I. H., Wiryawan, D. A., Wijayatno, Q. J., & Rohman, A. (2024) · Nitric Oxide · doi:10.1016/j.niox.2024.07.003 · Cited by 2
The effectiveness of aerobic exercise on pain and disability in individuals with neck pain: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
de Oliveira‐Souza, A. I. S., Kempe, M., Grimmelsmann, S., Tavares, L. F., de Castro‐Carletti, E. M., Andrade, A. V., Dennett, L., von Piekartz, H., Fuentes, J., & Armijo-Olivo, S. L. (2024) · Experimental Physiology · doi:10.1113/ep091884 · Cited by 2

Authors: Moustgaard, H., Clayton, G. L., Jones, H. E., Boutron, I., Jørgensen, L., Laursen, D. R. T., Olsen, M. F., Paludan-Müller, A., Ravaud, P., Savović, J., Sterne, J. A. C., Higgins, J. P. T., & Hróbjartsson, A.
Affiliations: Odense University Hospital (DK)
University of Bristol (GB)
Hôtel-Dieu de Paris (FR)
Cochrane (DK)
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
University of Southern Denmark (DK)
Corresponding author: Moustgaard, Helene
ORCID: Moustgaard, Helene
Clayton, Gemma L
Jones, Hayley E
Boutron, Isabelle
Jørgensen, Lars
Laursen, David R T
Olsen, Mette F
Ravaud, Philippe
Savović, Jelena
Sterne, Jonathan A C
Higgins, Julian P T
Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn
Venue: BMJ
Publisher: BMJ
Published: 2020-01-21
Volume: 368
Issue: 2
Pages: l6802
ISSN: 1756-1833 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l6802
PMC: PMC7190062
OpenAlex: W3001993019
Cited by: 300
References: 36
Citations by year: 2026: 21 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 27
FWCI: 9.08
Type: journal article
Language: en
Update notices: correction (2020-02-05)
Open access: hybrid
doi.org
Licence: cc-by-nc
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (unspecified)
Locations: BMJ (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
HAL (submittedVersion)
HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders: University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NF-SI-0617-10145)
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0611-10168, NF-SI-0616-10111, NIHR200268, NF-SI-0617-10145)
Department of Health and Social Care
University of Bristol
Medical Research Council (MR/K025643/1, MR/M014533/1, MR/L004933/1, MR/L004933/2)
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
Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Advanced Causal Inference Techniques
Keywords: blinding, randomized controlled trials, treatment effect estimation, detection bias, performance bias, trial heterogeneity, meta-analysis bias, double blinding, allocation concealment, attrition, meta-epidemiology, patient-reported outcomes
MeSH terms: Clinical Trials as Topic, Humans, Research Design, Epidemiologic Research Design, Observer Variation, Outcome Assessment, Health Care

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Impact of blinding on estimated treatment effects in randomised clinical trials: meta-epidemiological study

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