An assessment of the reporting of tapering methods in antidepressant discontinuation trials using the TIDieR checklist

BACKGROUND: The importance of tapering is increasingly recognised when discontinuing antidepressant medication. However, no previous studies have examined the reporting of antidepressant tapering methods in published studies. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the completeness of reporting of antidepressant tapering methods in a published systematic review using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. METHOD: A secondary analysis was conducted of studies included in a Cochrane systematic review that examined the effectiveness of approaches for discontinuing long-term antidepressant use. The completeness of reporting of antidepressant tapering methods in included studies was independently assessed by two researchers using the 12 items from the TIDieR checklist. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included in the analysis. None of the study reports described all checklists items. No study clearly reported what materials had been provided (item 3) or whether tailoring had occurred (item 9). With the exception of providing a name for the intervention or study procedures (item 1), only a minority of studies clearly reported on any of the remaining checklist items. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight a lack of detailed reporting of antidepressant tapering methods in published trials to date. This needs to be addressed as poor reporting could hinder replication and adaptation of existing interventions, as well as the potential for successful translation of effective tapering interventions into clinical practice.