Best (but oft-forgotten) practices: sensitivity analyses in randomized controlled trials 1 , 2

A randomized controlled clinical trial is the best way to minimize bias in ascertaining treatment effects, but the credibility of the results of a trial depends on the validity of the methods used to analyze the data, and the conditions under which such methods produce valid answers. A sensitivity analysis is a method to determine the robustness of trial findings by examining the extent to which results are affected by changes in methods, …