This Month in Adult Urology.

Abstract

Many important medical advances are the result of properly conducted prospective studies. The Journal of Urology has, over the years, published many of the most impactful trials and continues to provide the broadest audience for such studies. However, completion of a planned study is difficult and fraught with many barriers. ClinicalTrials.gov is a repository for clinical trials and registration with this or a comparable agency is a requirement for publication in The Journal of Urology. In this issue of The Journal, successful completion of registered trials in urology was analyzed (page 1159). Between 2007 and 2019, 8,636 trials were registered and 3,541 (41%) completed. Only 21% of completed trials were published. Government sponsored trials were more likely to be completed and report results compared to industry or academic sponsored studies. Subspecialty within urology had a minimal impact on results. Planning a study, obtaining funding, completing a trial, and publishing the results take a lot of work and this analysis shows that most urology trials ultimately are unsuccessful. This should help make readers even more appreciative of the efforts of authors who do successfully carry their project through to completion and publication.