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The CET-ESOT Collaboration.

The Centre for Evidence in Transplantation and the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) have initiated a collaboration and have agreed that the CET will become the Knowledge Centre for ESOT with a special emphasis on helping with the design and reporting of randomised controlled trials in Europe.

As well as the assistance with literature search and trial design outlined below, the collaboration has also led to the Evidence in Transplantation (EVIT) course and the monthly Transplant Trial Watch.

Aim

The aim of the collaboration is several fold but one major project is to improve the methodological quality of European transplantation trials by advising investigators in the early stages of trial design and planning. An analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in organ transplantation between 2004 and 2006 has shown that only around one third of trials were of good methodological quality. This detracts from the value of the evidence provided by these poor RCTs.

How can we help you?

We can help in the design and reporting of randomised controlled trials. If funding were being sought for non-industry supported trials the CET can provide help in this area and could be one of the trial investigators. Furthermore the CET can assure that the criteria that most major journals demand are met. This is of course much easier if the planning of the trial protocol has involved the CET. We can provide assistance is several ways:

  • Provide help with trial design and methodology
  • Provide help with the reporting of trials
  • Provide assistance in searching the literature
  • Provide a second opinion for researchers who have been approached to participate in a trial but they are unsure if a trial is warranted based on the existing literature

Who is it for?

This free service is available to ESOT members or any residents of Europe.

Submit a trial protocol for review by the CET

To receive help with the design of a randomized controlled trial, contact us.

Please refer to the SPIRIT statement for designing a trial protocol before submitting your protocol. A checklist is available which should be submitted with your protocol. Once the protocol is approved it will receive ESOT-CET accreditation and will be added to the ESOT-CET trial registry that is being developed.