Excerpt

The RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center (RTI-UNC EPC) used an ongoing review, Strategies to Improve Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents (SIMHC), to generate a report on the additional information gained by including data from clinicaltrials.gov. The purpose of the report was to summarize the evidence on strategies to improve mental health for children, through quality improvement (QI) strategies and interventions with proven effectiveness (e.g., evidence-based practices [EBPs]). The rationale for the topic was to understand how to bridge the gap between observed and achievable processes and outcomes, through strategies that target changes in the organization and delivery of mental health services

Conducting a supplemental transparency project on this review afforded an opportunity to explore additional sources of information on the included strategies, which are generally complex, systems-focused, and underreported. To achieve this goal, we explored the differences between information from published and unpublished sources included in the review and clinicaltrial.gov.

Contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Background and Objectives for the Systematic Review
• Key Questions
• Methods
  • KQ 1
  • KQ 2
  • KQ 3
  • KQ 4
  • KQ 5
• Results
  • Proportion of Studies Reported in Clinicaltrials.gov (KQ 1)
  • Comparing Data Between Clinicaltrials.gov and Published Sources (KQ2)
  • Incomplete, Discontinued, or Unpublished Studies (KQ 3)
  • Utility of Trial Registries for Disseminating Information on Study Outcomes and Processes (KQ 4)
• Discussion
  • Impact of Results on EPC Report (KQ 5)
  • Utility of Clinicaltrials.gov for Systems Interventions
  • Next Steps
• References

Suggested citation:

Viswanathan M, Cook Middleton J, Forman-Hoffman V. Supplemental Project to Assess the Transparency of Reporting for Strategies to Improve Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents. Methods Research Report. (Prepared by the RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-2015- 00011-I and 290-32004-T . AHRQ Publication No.17-EHC002-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. January 2017. www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/reports/final.cfm.

This report is based on research conducted by the RTI International–University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD (Contract No. 290-2015-00011-I and 290-32004-T). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s), who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

None of the investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this report.

The information in this report is intended to help health care decisionmakers—patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers, among others—make well-informed decisions and thereby improve the quality of health care services. This report is not intended to be a substitute for the application of clinical judgment. Anyone who makes decisions concerning the provision of clinical care should consider this report in the same way as any medical reference and in conjunction with all other pertinent information, i.e., in the context of available resources and circumstances presented by individual patients.

AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of any derivative products that may be developed from this report, such as clinical practice guidelines, other quality enhancement tools, or reimbursement or coverage policies may not be stated or implied.

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