Low impact of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals indexed in MEDLINE over a 6-year periodLow impact of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals indexed in MEDLINE over a 6-year period

Objective The prevalence of inclusion of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in Latin American journals has not been evaluated yet. This study aims to assess the extent to which RCTs published in Latin American medical journals are cited and used in systematic reviews. Study design and setting We did a descriptive observational study on RCTs published in MEDLINE-indexed Latin American journals from 2010 to 2015. The primary outcome was the inclusion of these trials in systematic reviews. The secondary outcome was the total number of citations that each RCT received as reported by Google Scholar. Results Twenty-nine journals were selected. After searching these journals, we found 135 RCTs that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. These RCTs accounted for 2% of all research articles published in these journals. Of these, 55 (41%) were included by 202 systematic reviews. Of the nine most-cited RCTs by systematic reviews and meta-analyses, only two were published in Spanish. Nine RCTs received zero citations by any article type. Most RCTs had small sample sizes. Conclusions The overall impact of RCTs published in Latin American journals is low. Efforts are needed to improve the methodological quality, pertinence and dissemination of trials, particularly if published in Spanish.