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. 2022 Oct 31:2:961996.
doi: 10.3389/fepid.2022.961996. eCollection 2022.

Linguistic spin in randomized controlled trials about age-related macular degeneration

Nienke Veldhuis  1 , Myrthe A Nuijts  2 , Luka Isphording  1 , Felicia V Y L Lee-Kong  1 , Saskia M Imhof  2 , Inge Stegeman  2   3   4
Affiliations

Linguistic spin in randomized controlled trials about age-related macular degeneration

Nienke Veldhuis et al. Front Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, type and extent of linguistic spin in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring interventions in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as to investigate whether study variables were correlated with linguistic spin.

Study design and setting: PubMed was searched from 2011 to 2020 to identify RCTs including patients with AMD. Two authors independently assessed a total of 96 RCTs. Linear regression analyses were performed to investigate whether linguistic spin was correlated with predefined study variables.

Results: Linguistic spin was found in 61 of 96 abstracts (63.5%) and in 90 of 96 main texts (93.8%). Use of words pointing out the beneficial effect of a treatment and the use of '(statistically) significant/significance' without reporting a P-value or a 95% confidence interval (CI) were the most frequently identified categories of linguistic spin. Sample size was significantly correlated with the total linguistic spin score (95% CI 0.38-5.23, P = 0.02).

Conclusion: A high prevalence and extent of linguistic spin in RCTs about AMD was found. We highlighted the importance of objective reporting and awareness of linguistic spin among ophthalmologists and other readers.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration (AMD); linguistic spin; ophthalmology; overinterpretation; randomized controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow chart for identification and selection of studies. AMD, age-related macular deeneration; RCT, randomized controlled trial.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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