Key result
The median fragility index across 25 highly cited plastic surgery RCTs was 4 (IQR 2-7.5), with 16% of studies having a score of 0 or 1.
Why the study?
Although RCT results are traditionally evaluated by P values, the universal utility of this metric has been questioned, prompting the use of the fragility index as an adjunct to assess statistical robustness.
What is the fragility index of highly cited randomized controlled trials in the plastic surgery literature?
Population
25 highest cited RCTs with statistically significant dichotomous outcomes across 24 plastic surgery journals
Design
Bibliometric analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors
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Low fragility indices warrant caution interpreting plastic surgery RCTs; challenges robustness of the current evidence base.
What is the fragility index of highly cited randomized controlled trials in the plastic surgery literature?
The fragility index of landmark plastic surgery RCTs is relatively low (median 4), suggesting that the statistical significance of many highly cited trials hinges on a small number of events.
Ormseth et al. (2024) studied Plastic surgery (n=25). Fragility Index calculation was evaluated on Fragility index score. The median fragility index across 25 highly cited plastic surgery RCTs was 4 (IQR 2-7.5), with 16% of studies having a score of 0 or 1.
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