Bias towards publishing positive results in orthopedic and general surgery

Description: Bias towards publishing positive results in orthopedic and general surgery: a patient safety issue? Erik A Hasenboehler , Imran K Choudhry , Justin T Newman , Wade R Smith , Bruce H Ziran and Philip F Stahel
Patient Safety in Surgery 2007, 1:4
Conclusions There is a disproportionately high number of articles reporting positive results published in the surgical literature. A bias towards publishing positive data will systematically overestimate the clinical relevance of treatment effects by disregarding important information derived from unpublished negative studies. This "publication bias" remains an area of concern and may affect the quality of care of patients undergoing surgical procedures.