Neil O’Connell
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neiloconnell.bsky.social
Neil O’Connell
@neiloconnell.bsky.social
Physio, Professor, BBQer. Editor @cochrane. Views are my own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Brunel University/ Cochrane

Interested in trustworthy evidence: https://entrust-pe.org/
Pinned

The International Association for the Study of Pain have chosen to formally endorse the ENTRUST-PE framework (www.iasp-pain.org/publications...
).
This is an excellent step in mobilising the global pain research community towards more trustworthy evidence.

Why?: www.jpain.org/article/S152...
IASP Formally Endorses the ENhancing TRUST in Pain Evidence (ENTRUST-PE) Framework  - International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
The ENTRUST-PE project  Recognizing multiple important and systematic challenges to the trustworthiness of research, the ENTRUST-PE project convened an international, interdisciplinary network of lead...
www.iasp-pain.org
Did you ask Santa for a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews of prognostic factor studies? The new AMSTAR-PF tool is now published in @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Excellent work from Michael Henry @UNISA driving this project.
@cochranesmg.bsky.social @jbiebhc.bsky.social
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
December 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Did you ask Santa for a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews of prognostic factor studies? The new AMSTAR-PF tool is now published in @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Excellent work from Michael Henry @UNISA driving this project.
@cochranesmg.bsky.social @jbiebhc.bsky.social
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
December 22, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Out today in @annalsofim.bsky.social

doi.org/10.7326/ANNA...

Our systematic review of 11 RCTs found bisphosphonates may reduce short-term pain but increase risk for AEs. Results limited by substantial, unexplained heterogeneity, introduced by inclusion of terminated trial data.
Efficacy and Safety of Bisphosphonates for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 0, No 0
Background: Clinical guidelines recommend bisphosphonates for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) despite limited evidence of efficacy. Purpose: To determine the efficacy and safety of bisphosphonat...
doi.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Noteworthy that of the 2 institutional representatives, one thought there weren’t enough cases for an independent agency, other worried they’d be overwhelmed
Scientific misconduct can waste public funds and harm human health. But views differ about the best way to tackle it.
Should Australia establish an independent body to investigate scientific misconduct? We asked 5 experts
theconversation.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:17 AM
“Science is neutral and free of bias.”

If only. Plot twist: science is done by humans, not snowpeople. ☃️

Recognising bias doesn’t mean losing trust in science. It means taking responsibility for how we assess it.

🎄 lnkd.in/dKzeUFCn
🍫 lnkd.in/d2vfPS_u
December 12, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Nice summary of advances in pain research in 2025 just out in Lancet Neurology: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Great to see ENTRUST-PE get a solid nod! entrust-pe.org
Advances in pain research in 2025 illuminate the complexities of neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain affects about 9% of adults and is driven by a variety of conditions, most notably diabetic neuropathy.1 The bio-psycho-social burden of neuropathic pain is key to recognising chronic ...
www.thelancet.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:58 AM
As an accompaniment to this new perspective piece on measuring harms in pain research, the recording of our webinar "Assessing harms in pain research" is now available.
@iasp.bsky.social @iasp-mesisig.bsky.social @efic.bsky.social @britishpainsoc.bsky.social

perc.iasp-pain.org/methodology-...
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”
Our new perspective piece on the
challenge of measuring and reporting adverse
events in interventions for pain is now available in @painthejournal.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pa...
@iasp.bsky.social @efic.bsky.social @britishpainsoc.bsky.social
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”. The challenge of ... : PAIN
An abstract is unavailable.
dx.doi.org
December 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Our recent and excellent @iasp-mesisig.bsky.social webinar "Optimising Openness and Transparency in Pain Research" is now free to view here perc.iasp-pain.org/methodology-...
International Association for the Study of Pain: Methodology, Evidence Synthesis, And Implementation (MESISIG)
perc.iasp-pain.org
December 2, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
🚨 BPS Endorses the ENTRUST-PE Framework

The British Pain Society is proud to endorse ENTRUST-PE – a framework boosting the trustworthiness, transparency, and rigor of pain research.

🔗Read more: m.entrust-pe.org
October 13, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Great to see the OPTIMETH framework for optimising clinical trials in CRPS, brilliantly led by Keith Smart from @ucddublin.bsky.social now out in @painreports.bsky.social

journals.lww.com/painrpts/ful...

@britishpainsoc.bsky.social @efic.bsky.social @iasp.bsky.social @iasp-mesisig.bsky.social
journals.lww.com
October 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
MESISIG is now on BlueSky. We've migrated who we follow 9as far as possible) from X but do please follow us back. We promise all things methodology and pain research!
October 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Registration and reporting will become mandatory for all clinical trials next year. It's good to see many trial sponsors already delivering on this, but with clear @hralatest.bsky.social guidance, no excuse for anyone not to be transparent about results #AllTrials

www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and...
Guidance on changes to the clinical trials regulations
www.hra.nhs.uk
October 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”
Our new perspective piece on the
challenge of measuring and reporting adverse
events in interventions for pain is now available in @painthejournal.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pa...
@iasp.bsky.social @efic.bsky.social @britishpainsoc.bsky.social
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”. The challenge of ... : PAIN
An abstract is unavailable.
dx.doi.org
September 3, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

INSPECT-SR: A tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials.
INSPECT-SR: a tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled trials
The integrity of evidence synthesis is threatened by problematic randomised controlled trials (RCTs). These are RCTs where there are serious concerns about the trustworthiness of the data or findings....
www.medrxiv.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”
Our new perspective piece on the
challenge of measuring and reporting adverse
events in interventions for pain is now available in @painthejournal.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pa...
@iasp.bsky.social @efic.bsky.social @britishpainsoc.bsky.social
To do no harm, we must first “know harms”. The challenge of ... : PAIN
An abstract is unavailable.
dx.doi.org
September 3, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
📣 Save the date for the 12th PCI webinar on September 18, 2025, at 4 PM CET!! Dorothy Bishop (@deevybee.bsky.social) will present "Editors matter: How negligent publishers subvert quality control in scientific publishing ". For more details and registration, visit:
PCI Webinar Series - Peer Community In
The PCI webinar series is a series of seminars on research practices, publication practices, evaluation, scientific integrity, meta-research, organised by Peer Community In
peercommunityin.org
August 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Out today 🚨 Our Cochrane review of 67 RCTs finds no clear evidence of benefit for ketamine or other NMDA antagonists for chronic pain. IV ketamine associated with risk of psychotomimetic effects, nausea, and vomiting. doi.org/10.1002/1465...
Ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain - Ferraro, MC - 2025 | Cochrane Library
Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.
doi.org
August 18, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Out today 🚨 Our Cochrane review of 67 RCTs finds no clear evidence of benefit for ketamine or other NMDA antagonists for chronic pain. IV ketamine associated with risk of psychotomimetic effects, nausea, and vomiting. doi.org/10.1002/1465...
Ketamine and other NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain - Ferraro, MC - 2025 | Cochrane Library
Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.
doi.org
August 18, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
The ENTRUST-Pain Evidence (Entrust-PE) is an important initiative to ensure that pain science is of high quality.
Framework published in J Pain.
Endorsed by @iasp.bsky.social & @efic.bsky.social.

More here: m.entrust-pe.org

#pain
May 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Editorial: The editors-in-chief from @thejournalofpain.bsky.social & other pain/anesthesia journals come together to align and strengthen initiatives to enhance research integrity, trust, and impact across our field.

Full: www.jpain.org/article/S152...
July 28, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Led by Prof. Neil O’Connell and funded by ERA-Net NEURON, ENTRUST-PE brought together an international network to co-create a new framework for trustworthy pain research.
Learn more: entrust-pe.org

#ENTRUSTPE #ChronicPain #ResearchIntegrity #EquityInResearch #PainResearch #NEURON #SuccessStory #RRI
ENTRUST-PE: A New Framework for Trustworthy Pain Research - ERA-NET NEURON
NEURON’s Role and Reflections from the First Networking Call The success of ENTRUST-PE also reflects the value of ERA-Net NEURON’s strategic focus on networking and community building. The Networking ...
www.neuron-eranet.eu
July 31, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
📌 The SPIRIT 2025 statement updates the guidelines for randomized trial protocols to enhance their completeness, transparency, and consistency, benefiting stakeholders involved in clinical research.

ja.ma/4fzMVZS
August 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Neil O’Connell
Excellent, insightful conversation on the What the REF podcast between @simonhettrick.bsky.social and Marcus Munafo (@ukrepro.bsky.social) covering REF, open and transparent research and research culture (also rowing) youtu.be/uHRQjNqY6CY
Ep3. What the REF are our research incentives?
YouTube video by Hidden REF
youtu.be
August 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM