01631nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001653001100042653002400053653003300077653002200110653002400132653002000156653002000176653001700196653003100213653002800244653001800272653002200290653001200312100001900324700001500343700001100358700001900369245005800388250001500446300001000461490000700471520078100478020004601259       2010                            d10aHumans10aDouble-Blind Method10aRandomised Controlled Trials10aTreatment Outcome10aSingle-Blind Method10aResearch Design10aRisk Assessment10aTime Factors10aReproducibility of Results10aEvidence-Based Medicine10aComprehension10aRandom Allocation10aReading1 aZoungas Sophia1 aWebster A.1 aJun M.1 aPerkovic Vlado00aHow to read a report of a randomized controlled trial  a2010/05/18  a153-70 v153 a<p>
Proper evaluation of up-to-date clinical evidence is essential for the provision of optimal patient care. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the ideal study type to investigate the benefit or harm of an intervention, such as a drug therapy. RCTs aims to avoid biased assessment of clinical interventions through the even distribution of both known and unknown factors that may influence outcomes. However, not all RCTs are well designed, conducted or reported. As such, the clinician needs to critically appraise RCTs in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses. This paper aims to explain how to approach critical appraisal, by highlighting and illustrating important questions that help determine the reliability of results from randomized trials.
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