Problem: Recruitment to randomised trials is often difficult, and many important trials are not
mounted because recruitment is thought to be “impossible.” Design: Controversial ProtecT …

Education and debate Page 1 Education and debate Quality improvement report Improving
design and conduct of randomised trials by embedding them in qualitative research: ProtecT …

Objective To systematically compare the outcomes of participants in randomised controlled
trials (RCTs) with those in comparable non-participants who received the same or similar …

Objective To determine whether poor reporting of methods in randomised controlled trials
reflects on poor methods. Design Observational study. Setting Reports of randomised …

Objective To determine the rate of early discontinuation and non-publication of randomised
controlled trials involving patients undergoing surgery. Design Cross sectional observational …

Because the lives and wellbeing of patients will be influenced for better or worse by the
validity of these judgments, however, it is important to be explicit about the logic as well as …

Although conventional randomised controlled trials are widely recognised as the most
reliable method to evaluate pharmacological interventions, 1 2 scepticism about their role in …

Recruitment to trials is known to be difficult. Previous research suggests that a crucial factor
may be participants' difficulty with the concept of randomization. This study explored patients' …

Objectives To provide information on the frequency and reasons for outcome reporting bias
in clinical trials. Design Trial protocols were compared with subsequent publication (s) to …

Objectives To explore trial participants' understandings of randomisation. Design In this
exploratory study, which used qualitative research methods, in-depth, semistructured …