Randomized Clinical Trials: The Meeting Place of Medical Practice and Clinical Research

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have been used to assess interventions affecting health since biblical times. They provide the most valid means of measuring the true effects of intervention compared with no treatment or placebo. Although they can also be used to assess the value of diagnostic tests, this article focuses on randomized trials in the context of treatment. Key elements of an RCT include: the explicit definition of a clinically …