Objective: To identify all reports of randomised clinical trials in the Jou
rnal and compare our findings with reports available in Medline.
Methods: We handsearched the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology with supp
lements for the years 1955-1997 to identify reports of randomised clinical
trials and controlled clinical trials.
Results: We identified 445 trial reports. In Medline, 134 of these trials (
30%) were indexed as randomised or controlled trials; an additional 50 tria
ls (11%) were available in Medline but were indexed differently. Thus, 261
of the trials (59%) we identified were not indexed in Medline; most of thes
e trials were published in supplements to the Journal.
Conclusion: Handsearching of medical journals for randomised trials can be
a worthwhile effort. Clinicians and patients will become better informed ab
out the value of different treatment options and researchers will reduce th
eir risk of performing trials that are unnecessary.