Table 1

Characteristics of included studies and the distribution of registered studies among different characteristics

NumberRegistered
Aim of the study
 Diagnostic248 (71)38 (15)
 Prognostic103 (29)14 (14)
Type of test evaluated
 Imaging114 (33)22 (19)
 Laboratory technique126 (36)21 (17)
 Other83 (24)6 (7)
 Combination of categories28 (8)3 (11)
Funding
 Industry-involvement67 (19)22 (33)
 Other source of funding203 (58)23 (11)
 No funding (reported)81 (23)7 (9)
Journal impact factor, median (range)6.4 (5.0–53.3)6.0 (5.1–38.3)
Total35152 (15)
  • The third column shows numbers and percentages of the total of included studies in parentheses. The second column shows numbers and percentages of the total per category in parentheses.