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Table 7 Effect direction plot for systematic review summary formats (ordered by study design and risk of bias) [40,41,42,43,44]

From: The effectiveness of interventions to disseminate the results of non-commercial randomised clinical trials to healthcare professionals: a systematic review

  1. Study design: RCT randomised controlled trial, cRCT cluster randomised trial
  2. Effect direction: upward arrow ▲ = positive health impact; downward arrow ▼ = negative health impact; sideways arrow ◄► = no change/mixed effects/conflicting findings
  3. Sample size: final sample size (individuals) in the intervention group: large arrow  > 300; medium arrow  50–300; small arrow  < 50
  4. Study quality: denoted by row colour: green = low risk of bias; amber = some concerns; red = high risk of bias