“Clinical trials are essential for evaluating new drugs and treatment approaches. These guidelines will help to increase clinical trial transparency, efficiency and impact,” said Dr. Moher.Nearly 30 years ago, the CONSORT statement transformed clinical trials around the world.

Developed by Dr. David Moher and colleagues, CONSORT included a checklist and guidelines that researchers could use to help them fully and transparently report their trial results. Endorsed by more than 500 biomedical journals, CONSORT helped researchers efficiently build on each other’s work and ensured that patient data would be put to the best possible use.

Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa have continued to play a lead role in updating CONSORT over the years, including the 2025 update published simultaneously in The BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, Nature Medicine, and PLOS Medicine. This update includes new guidelines for reporting patient engagement, data sharing, delivery of an intervention and side-effects.

“Clinical trials are essential for evaluating new drugs and treatment approaches. These guidelines will help to increase clinical trial transparency, efficiency and impact,” said Dr. Moher, who collaborated with Dr. Dean Fergusson and many others on the latest update, which is coupled with the SPIRIT guideline for trial protocols.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.