| yes | no | |
| Design and conduct | ||
| Is the sample defined? | 2 | 0 |
| Are exclusions specified? | 2 | 0 |
| Are known risk factors recorded? | 3 | 0 |
| Are therapeutic regimens defined? | 5 | 0 |
| Is the experimental regimen appropriate? | 5 | 0 |
| Is the control regimen appropriate? | 5 | 0 |
| Were appropriate investigations carried out? | 2 | 0 |
| Are endpoints defined? | 5 | 0 |
| Are endpoints appropriate? | 5 | 0 |
| Have numbers required been calculated? | 2 | 0 |
| Was patient consent sought? | 1 | 0 |
| Was the randomization blind? | 3 | 0 |
| Was the assessment blind? | 4 | 0 |
| Were additional treatments recorded? | 4 | 0 |
| Were side effects recorded? | 2 | 0 |
| Analysis | ||
| Withdrawals: | ||
| Are they listed? | 3 | 0 |
| Is their fate recorded? | 4 | 0 |
| Are there fewer than 10%? | 4 | 0 |
| Is there a comparability table? | 3 | 0 |
| Are risk factors stratified? | 3 | 0 |
| Is the statistical analysis of proportions correct ? | 3 | 0 |
| Is the statistical analysis of numbers correct? | 3 | 0 |
| Are confidence intervals reported? | 2 | 0 |
| Are values of both test statistics and probability given? | 1 | 0 |
| In negative trials, is the type II error considered? | 4 | 0 |
| Presentation | ||
| Is the title accurate? | 2 | 0 |
| Is the abstract accurate and helpful? | 3 | 0 |
| Are the methods reproducible? | 3 | 0 |
| Are the sections clear-cut? | 2 | 0 |
| Can the raw data be discerned? | 2 | 0 |
| Are the results credible? | 3 | 0 |
| Do the results justify the conclusions? | 3 | 0 |
| Are the references correct? | 2 | 0 |