Concordance of randomised controlled trials for artificial intelligence interventions with the CONSORT-AI reporting guidelines

Alexander P. L. Martindale, Benjamin Ng, Victoria Ngai, Aditya U. Kale, Lavinia Ferrante di Ruffano, Robert M. Golub, Gary S. Collins, David Moher, Melissa D. McCradden, Lauren Oakden-Rayner, Samantha Cruz Rivera, Melanie Calvert, Christopher J. Kelly, Cecilia S. Lee, Christopher Yau, An-Wen Chan, Pearse A. Keane, Andrew L. Beam, Alastair K. Denniston, Xiaoxuan Liu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials extension for Artificial Intelligence interventions (CONSORT-AI) was published in September 2020. Since its publication, several randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of AI interventions have been published but their completeness and transparency of reporting is unknown. This systematic review assesses the completeness of reporting of AI RCTs following publication of CONSORT-AI and provides a comprehensive summary of RCTs published in recent years. 65 RCTs were identified, mostly conducted in China (37%) and USA (18%). Median concordance with CONSORT-AI reporting was 90% (IQR 77–94%), although only 10 RCTs explicitly reported its use. Several items were consistently under-reported, including algorithm version, accessibility of the AI intervention or code, and references to a study protocol. Only 3 of 52 included journals explicitly endorsed or mandated CONSORT-AI. Despite a generally high concordance amongst recent AI RCTs, some AI-specific considerations remain systematically poorly reported. Further encouragement of CONSORT-AI adoption by journals and funders may enable more complete adoption of the full CONSORT-AI guidelines.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1619
Number of pages11
JournalNature Communications
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Feb 2024

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Concordance of randomised controlled trials for artificial intelligence interventions with the CONSORT-AI reporting guidelines'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this