Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Equity of participants in clinical trials in critical care and perioperative medicine research: a systematic review
Authors' conclusion
Large, high-quality critical care and perioperative RCTs inconsistently collect and report equity data. Female and non-White participants are underrepresented.
Study context
- Population
- Large, high-quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (2013–2023) recruiting adults (age ≥18 yr) receiving a critical care/perioperative intervention
- Participants
- 155,036 participants · 60 trials
- Outcome
- Representation and reporting of participant equity data (PROGRESS characteristics)
Methodological detailsPROGRESS framework, Cochrane Risk of Bias 2, 52 critical care, 8 perioperative medicine trials
- PROGRESS framework
- Cochrane Risk of Bias 2
- 52 critical care, 8 perioperative medicine trials
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Reporting and representation of equity (PROGRESS) characteristics
- Gender/sex reported, trials
- n=59, 98.3%
- Race/ethnicity reported, trials
- n=10, 16.7%
- Place of residence reported, trials
- n=1, 1.7%
- Social capital reported, trials
- n=1, 1.7%
- Statistical considerations for gender/sex, trials
- nine (15.0%)
- Gender/sex data missing in two trials, missingness
- 5.0% and 0.3%
- Race/ethnicity data missing in seven trials, missingness (IQR 0.4-19.2%)
- 7.39%
Further pooled results
Participant age
- Mean (SD) age, yr
- 62.9 (4.1)
Original publication
Equity of participants in clinical trials in critical care and perioperative medicine research: a systematic review. BJA Open. Published 24 July 2025. doi:10.
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