Spin within systematic review abstracts on antiplatelet therapies after acute coronary syndrome: a cross-sectional study
- PMID: 35918107
- PMCID: PMC9351322
- DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049421
Spin within systematic review abstracts on antiplatelet therapies after acute coronary syndrome: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
Objectives: Spin is a reporting practice in which study results are misrepresented by overestimating efficacy or underestimating harm. Prevalence of spin varies between clinical specialties, and estimates are based almost entirely on clinical trials. Little is known about spin in systematic reviews.
Design: We performed a cross-sectional analysis searching MEDLINE and Embase for systematic reviews and meta-analyses pertaining to antiplatelet therapies following acute coronary syndrome on 2 June 2020. Data were extracted evaluating the presence of spin and study characteristics, including methodological quality as rated by A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2). All data extraction was conducted in a masked, duplicate manner from 2 June 2020 to 26 June 2020.
Participants and setting: Not applicable.
Primary and secondary outcome measures: We assessed abstracts of systematic reviews on antiplatelet therapy following acute coronary syndrome and evaluated the prevalence of the nine most severe types of spin. We additionally explored associations between spin and certain study characteristics, including quality.
Results: Our searches returned 15 263 articles, and 185 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. Of these 185 reviews, 31.9% (59/185) contained some form of spin in the abstract. Seven forms of spin (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) among the nine most severe were identified. No instances of types 6 or 8 were found. There were no statistically significant relationships between spin and the evaluated study characteristics or AMSTAR-2 appraisals.
Conclusions: Spin was present in abstracts for systematic reviews and meta-analyses; subsequent studies are needed to identify correlations between spin and specific study characteristics. There were no statistically significant associations between spin and study characteristics or AMSTAR-2 ratings; however, implementing changes will ensure that spin is reduced in the field of cardiology as well as other fields of medicine.
Keywords: Adult cardiology; Coronary heart disease; Ischaemic heart disease; Myocardial infarction.
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing interests: None declared.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Evaluation of Spin in Abstracts of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Focused on Treatments of Erectile Dysfunction: A Cross-sectional Analysis.Sex Med. 2020 Dec 5;9(1):100284. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2020.10.012. Online ahead of print. Sex Med. 2020. PMID: 33291041 Free PMC article.
-
Evaluation of spin in the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to the treatment of proximal humerus fractures.J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2021 Jan 19:2197-2205. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2020.11.026. Online ahead of print. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2021. PMID: 33482369
-
Evaluation of Spin in the Abstracts of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Covering Treatments for Achilles Tendon Ruptures.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2021 Mar 28;6(1):24730114211000637. doi: 10.1177/24730114211000637. eCollection 2021 Jan. Foot Ankle Orthop. 2021. PMID: 35097436 Free PMC article.
-
Evaluation of spin in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of superior capsular reconstruction.J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2022 Aug;31(8):1743-1750. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2022.03.015. Epub 2022 Apr 25. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2022. PMID: 35472573 Review.
-
Over 30% of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Focused on Rotator Cuff Tear Treatments Contained Spin in the Abstract.Arthroscopy. 2021 Sep;37(9):2953-2959. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2021.03.066. Epub 2021 Apr 19. Arthroscopy. 2021. PMID: 33887409 Review.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous