Results dissemination from clinical trials conducted at German university medical centres was delayed and incomplete

Abstract

Objective: Timely and comprehensive reporting of clinical trial results build the backbone of evidence-based medicine and responsible research. The proportion of timely disseminated trial results can inform alternative national and international benchmarking of university medical centers (UMCs). Study Design and Setting: For all German UMCs we tracked all registered trials completed between 2009 and 2013. The results and an interactive website benchmark German UMCs regarding their performance in results dissemination. Results: We identified and tracked 2,132 clinical trials. For 1,509 trials, one of the German UMCs took the academic lead. Of these 1,509 "lead trials", 39% published their results (mostly via journal publications) in a timely manner (<24 months after completion). More than six years after study completion, 26% of all eligible lead trials still had not disseminated results. Conclusion: Despite substantial attention from many stakeholders to the topic, there is still a strong delay or even absence of results dissemination for many trials. German UMCs have several opportunities to improve this situation. Further research should evaluate whether and how a transparent benchmarking of UMC performance in results dissemination helps to increase value and reduce waste in medical research.

Footnotes

* Title and abstract have been changed according to journal requirements. Methods and results have been adapted to improve clarity.