{"id":257,"date":"2019-01-30T15:28:59","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T15:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/enrich\/?page_id=257"},"modified":"2026-03-02T22:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:09:31","slug":"spirit-consort-c","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lab.research.sickkids.ca\/enrich\/reporting-standards\/spirit-consort-c\/","title":{"rendered":"SPIRIT | CONSORT-Children and Adolescents 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/i><\/i><\/span>About SPIRIT-Children and Adolescents (SPIRIT-C) 2026 and CONSORT-Children and Adolescents (CONSORT-C) 2026<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Research reporting guidelines, such as<\/span> SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items for Randomized Trials)<\/a> <\/span>and<\/span> CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)<\/a><\/span> guidelines offers a standard way for authors to prepare protocols and reports for randomized controlled trials. These guidelines facilitate complete and transparent reporting, which in turn aids their critical appraisal and interpretation. Over the years, SPIRIT and CONSORT have led to improved reporting and better implementation of trials; however, specific elements for trials with children (from newborns, infants, children, to adolescents, detailing the intervention, drug dose and delivery, validity of the outcomes studied, etc.) are not included. Growing evidence suggests the need for additional and modified items specific to child health that factor in these unique considerations to improve reporting in child health randomized controlled trials and reduce research waste.<\/span><\/p>\n

In collaboration with members of the SPIRIT and CONSORT Group, we extended the current SPIRIT and CONSORT statements and developed a checklist of essential reporting items that authors should include when writing paediatric (aged 0-19 years) randomized controlled trial protocols and reports. These new guidelines are called SPIRIT-Children and Adolescents (SPIRIT-C) 2026 and CONSORT-Children and Adolescents (CONSORT-C) 2026. SPIRIT | CONSORT-C 2026 comprise reporting items that cover various key elements associated with paediatric trials that differ from adult trials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Developed with an international group of experts, young people (aged 10-24 years), and family caregivers, the SPIRIT-C 2026 guideline comprises 17 reporting items, and CONSORT-C 2026 includes 13 reporting items. The SPIRIT-C 2026 and CONSORT-C 2026 guidelines have been published in The BMJ<\/em>, The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health<\/em>, and JAMA Pediatrics<\/em>. Explanation and Elaboration (E&E) papers for both guidelines have been published in The BMJ<\/em>. Links to all publications are available below.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>The SPIRIT-C 2026 & CONSORT-C 2026 guidelines<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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The Statement papers have been co-published in The BMJ, JAMA Pediatrics, <\/em>and The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n