Treatment of acute otitis media: are children entered into clinical trialsrepresentative?

This study involved a meta-analysis of randomised control studies of the tr eatment of acute otitis media and judged the characteristics of these trial s on the basis of methods, age groups, interventions, and outcomes. An inve stigation of the eight trials reported in the meta-analysis of clinical tri als revealed that the number of children entered per doctor in all practice s was low and that the recruitment rate was probably lower that 44%. Low re cruitment rates indicate that the type of children entered into trials may only relate to those with mild to moderate symptoms and signs, which could explain why the results of these trials show that antibiotics are not essen tial in treating acute otitis media.