Understanding Randomised Controlled Trials

Overview

Journal Arch Dis Child

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2005 Jul 26

PMID 16040885

Citations 140

Authors

A K Akobeng

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The hierarchy of evidence in assessing the effectiveness of interventions or treatments is explained, and the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, the randomised controlled trial, is discussed. Issues that need to be considered during the critical appraisal of randomised controlled trials, such as assessing the validity of trial methodology and the magnitude and precision of the treatment effect, and deciding on the applicability of research results, are discussed. Important terminologies such as randomisation, allocation concealment, blinding, intention to treat, p values, and confidence intervals are explained.

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