Journal of clinical epidemiology
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In randomized trials, the primary analysis should be consistent with the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle and should address missing data appropriately to draw valid inferences. This review focuses on current practices relating to the ITT principle and methods to handle missing data in the major musculoskeletal journals. ⋯ It appears that many trials reporting missing data are inappropriately analyzed and may therefore be prone to biased estimates and invalid inferences.