Risk of bias

Risk of bias refers to the possibility that the design, conduct, or reporting of a study has influenced the results in a way that favors certain outcomes or conclusions. It considers factors like how participants are chosen, whether researchers or participants knew the treatment assignments, and if outcomes were measured consistently. A high risk of bias means the study's results may not be reliable or accurate, while a low risk indicates more trustworthy findings. Assessing bias helps determine how much confidence we can place in the study's conclusions.