Randomized Clinical Trials and Observational Studies Are More Often Alike Than Unlike

Randomized clinical trials and observational studies are more often alike than unlike.

46. O’Keefe JH Jr, Kim SC, Hall RR, Cochran VC, Lawhorn SL, McCallister BD. Estrogen replacement therapy after coronary angioplasty in women. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997;29(1):1-5. 47. Hulley S, Grady D, Bush T, et al; Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study (HERS) Research Group. Randomized trial of estrogen plus progestin for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal...

Response to are observational studies more informative than randomized controlled trials in hypertension? Con side of the argument.

Response to are observational studies more informative than randomized controlled trials in hypertension? Pro side of the argument.

Observational studies are complementary to randomized controlled trials.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard study design to investigate the effect of health interventions, including treatment. However, in some situations, it may be unnecessary, inappropriate, impossible, or inadequate to perform an RCT. In these special situations, well-designed observational studies, including cohort and case-control studies, may provide an alterna...

Clinical research in anaesthesia; randomized controlled trials or observational studies?

The new millennium has seen a consolidation of the difficulties in pursuing clinical research in anaesthesia. Anaesthesia is rarely seen as a specialty with a high academic profile [1]. Universities have been encouraged to concentrate their research effort on basic sciences, and research in clinical medicine has concentrated on those areas with a large impact on public health. In the UK cancer,...