Can we trust studies published by authors with financial conflicts? Using the decline of metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty to investigate.

Abstract

The objective of our study was to determine if authors with conflicts of interest are less likely to report negative study outcomes in metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty. We performed a systematic review of 3 major orthopedic journals for articles related to metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty over 12 years. A total of 64 studies reported clinical outcomes and were included. Reviewers assigned a positive, neutral, or negative label. Each study was noted for the presence of absence of a financial conflict. There was a significant trend from positive to negative study outcomes over time (P = .015). A similar negative trend was seen in studies written by authors with financial disclosures (P = .021). Authors with financial conflicts have contributed to the increase in negative outcomes reported in the literature.