Table 1 Characteristics of included RCTs
Administrative indicators | Trials in 2008 | Trials in 1998 | RR [95%CI] | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | No. (%) | No. (%) | Â | Â |
Top five kinds of disease | ||||
chronic hepatitis C | 19(18%) | 15(15%) | 1.21 [0.58, 2.53] | P = 0.62 |
inflammatory bowel disease | 17(16%) | 11(11%) | 1.51 [0.67, 3.41] | P = 0.32 |
liver cirrhosis | 11(10%) | 12(12%) | - | - |
chronic hepatitis B | 12(11%) | - | - | - |
colorectal cancer | 8(7%) | - | - | - |
peptic ulcer | - | 15(15%) | - | - |
liver cancer | - | 5(5%) | - | - |
Region | Â | Â | Â | Â |
North America | 36(34%) | 30(30%) | 1.17 [0.65, 2.10] | P = 0.61 |
Europe | 42(39%) | 56(57%) | 0.50 [0.28, 0.86] | P = 0.01 |
Asia | 19(18%) | 8(8%) | 2.46 [1.02, 5.90] | P = 0.04 |
Australia | 10(9%) | 4(4%) | 2.45 [0.74, 8.08] | P = 0.14 |
Center | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Single-center | 31(29%) | 51(52%) | 0.38 [0.22, 0.68] | P = 0.001 |
Multi-center | 76(71%) | 48(48%) | 2.60 [1.47, 4.63] | P = 0.001 |
Funding source | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Industry | 43(40%) | 25(25%) | 1.99 [1.10, 3.61] | P = 0.02 |
Public | 40(38%) | 32 (32%) | 1.25 [0.70, 2.22] | P = 0.45 |
Public and industry | 13(12%) | 8(8%) | 1.57 [0.62, 3.97] | P = 0.34 |
Not specified | 5(5%) | 33(33%) | 0.10 [0.04, 0.26] | P < 0.001 |
None | 6(5%) | 1(1%) | 5.82 [0.69, 49.24] | P = 0.11 |
Ethics committee approval | 105(98%) | 86(87%) | 7.94 [1.74, 36.13] | P = 0.007 |
Informed consent from patients | 100(93%) | 81(82%) | 3.17 [1.26, 7.97] | P = 0.01 |