Two arm randomised trial, 240 adults, 8 weeks
Randomised controlled trial poster example
A randomised controlled trial poster must let a reader follow every participant and find the primary outcome with its interval. This A0 portrait board reports a behavioural trial of a sleep app against written advice in 240 adults: insomnia scores fell 3.3 points more with the app, 95% CI 1.9 to 4.7, with the flow from 318 screened to 221 analysed.
The whole board
The poster at full size, exactly as it prints. Every number, citation and caption on it was written for this example, so the layout is being judged on real content.
Block by block
What each block on the board is for, in the order a reader walks it.
- Title band and four authors
- The title names the app, the comparator, the condition and the 240 adults, with four authors over two affiliations.
- Abstract, background and methods
- The abstract gives the design, outcome and result. Background explains why a booklet is the fair comparator. Five method entries cover design, participants, each arm and the outcomes.
- Eight week outcomes
- Three stat blocks: 6.1 points with the app, 2.8 with advice, and the 3.3 point difference with its 95% interval.
- Figures 1 and 2
- Figure 1 plots the fall in insomnia score by arm. Figure 2 plots remission, a score under 8, at 37.6% against 16.1%, with 41 of 109 and 18 of 112 in the caption.
- Participant flow and completion bars
- Six boxes from 318 screened to 221 analysed, with exclusions and losses beside the spine. The completion block shows who finished and how much of each arm was used.
- Primary outcome and discussion
- The difference with its interval and the imputed sensitivity result of 3.2 points, then a short discussion of module completion.
- Key finding, secondary outcomes and references
- The callout states the result. The secondary outcomes table from the brief is written as text, sleep onset, total sleep time and remission, and three references close the board.
What makes this board work
The flow reconciles at every step
318 screened less 78 excluded is 240 randomised; 120 per arm less 11 and 8 lost is 109 and 112, or 221 analysed. The losses sit beside the spine as one combined box, so no count is hidden.
Three numbers, one comparison
The results band gives the fall in each arm, 6.1 and 2.8 points, then the difference of 3.3 with its interval. Each arm number carries its baseline and analysed count, and the interval sits with the difference.
Completion is shown, not assumed
The completion bars give 91% and 93% finishing 8 weeks, and 62% of app users opening all six modules. That last figure is why the discussion says the effect may grow.
Questions people ask
What must a randomised controlled trial poster include?
The design and allocation method, eligibility, both interventions, the primary outcome and when it was measured, a participant flow, the primary result with its confidence interval, and harms. The CONSORT statement lists these for a full report; a poster cannot hold all of them, but it should hold every one that changes how the result reads.
How is this board different from a drug trial poster?
The comparator is active advice rather than a placebo, and the intervention is behavioural, so blinding participants is impossible. The board says assessors were blind instead, and the completion bars report how much of each arm was actually used, which matters more for an app than adherence to a tablet.
Where do losses to follow up go in the flow?
Beside the spine, after allocation, with the count for each arm. This board puts 11 lost from the app arm and 8 from advice in one combined box, because two side boxes stacked in a row overprint each other on this design. The analysed box then names 109 and 112.
Should I report the imputed result as well?
Yes, briefly. The primary analysis here uses the 221 adults with an 8 week score, and a sensitivity analysis with the 19 missing outcomes imputed gives 3.2 points. One line showing the result barely moves tells a reviewer that the dropouts did not create it.
How do I fit a secondary outcomes table on this design?
This classic board has no table block, so the three secondary outcomes are written as a short run in a section: minutes to fall asleep, total sleep time and remission, each with both arms. Three rows read well this way. Remission also gets its own figure because it is the outcome patients ask about.
Why are the flow and completion headings fixed?
The headings on the flow, method and bar blocks come from the design, not the content, so this board reads participant flow and completion by arm. Both suit a two arm trial. On a study without arms or participants those headings would be wrong, which is a reason to pick another design.
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