Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of premature deaths a year could be avoided by seeking
large-scale randomized evidence about various widely practicable treatments for the …

Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of premature deaths a year could be avoided by seeking
large-scale randomized evidence about various widely practicable treatments for the …

The Magic of Randomization Nonrandomized observational analyses have been promoted
as alternatives to randomized clinical trials. However, randomization ensures balance …

ContextThere is substantial debate about whether the results of nonrandomized studies are
consistent with the results of randomized controlled trials on the same topic. ObjectivesTo …

There is debate whether clinical trials with suboptimal power are justified and whether
results from large studies are more reliable than the (combined) results of smaller trials. We …

Randomized clinical trials have become the accepted scientific standard for evaluating
therapeutic efficacy. Contradictory results from multiple randomized clinical trials on the …

It is now widely accepted that in most situations, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and
systematic reviews are the most reliable methods of determining the effects of treatment. Yet …

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is not a gold standard: it is a good experimental
design in some circumstances, but that's all. Potential shortcomings in the design and …

Context.—The extent of concordance between meta-analyses and large trials on the same
topic has been investigated with different protocols. Inconsistent conclusions created …

The criteria for a good trial are similar in many serious diseases: first and foremost, ask an
'important'question and, secondly, answer it 'reliably'. These two very general criteria …