INTRODUCTION Literature indicates that racism, sexism, homophobia and HIV-related stigma have adverse impacts on health, well-being, and quality of life among HIV-positive women of African descent (African/Black diaspora). However, limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing stigma tailored for these women. This study systematically reviewed randomized contro...

Implementation studies are recommended to assess the feasibility and effectiveness in real-life of programmes which have been tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We report on an implementation study of two evidence-based exercise and health education programmes for older adults with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip. Three types of primary health-care providers (n = 18) delivere...

OBJECTIVE To determine how well therapeutic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology (JPP) met the CONSORT criteria as compared to pediatric trials in the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology (JCCP), which served as a control. METHODS Nine trials were found in JPP and 19 clinical trials were retrieved from JCCP. The modified Consort Checklist and Flo...

Decision-making based on reliable evidence is more likely to lead to effective and efficient treatments. Evidence-based dentistry was developed, similarly to evidence-based medicine, to help clinicians apply current and valid research findings into their own clinical practice. Interpreting and appraising the literature is fundamental and involves the development of evidence-based dentistry (EBD...

The evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is widely regarded as supplying the ‘gold standard’ in medicine—we may sometimes have to settle for other forms of evidence, but this is always epistemically second-best. But how well justified is the epistemic claim about the superiority of RCTs? This paper adds to my earlier (predominantly negative) analyses of the claims produced in favou...

Randomized controlled trials (RCT) have become a dominant empirical tool in applied economics. The internal validity of RCTs crucially depends on the (implicit) assumption that the procedure assigning subjects to treatment and control groups has no effect on behavior. We show theoretically that this assumption is violated when people are motivated by belief-dependent preferences and care about ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in heart failure (HF) are becoming increasingly complex and expensive to conduct and if positive deliver expensive therapy tested only in selected populations. RECENT FINDINGS Electronic health records and clinical cardiovascular quality registries are providing opportunities for pragmatic and registry-based prospective randomized clinical...

BACKGROUND Previous studies indicate that in published reports, trial results can be distorted by the use of "spin" (specific reporting strategies, intentional or unintentional, emphasizing the beneficial effect of the experimental treatment). We aimed to (1) evaluate the presence of "spin" in press releases and associated media coverage; and (2) evaluate whether findings of randomized controll...

BACKGROUND Interim analysis of accumulating trial data is important to protect participant safety during randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data Monitoring Committees (DMCs) often undertake such analyses, but their widening role may lead to extended use of interim analysis or recommendations that could potentially bias trial results. METHODS Systematic search of eight major publications: An...

OBJECTIVE To identify models of peer support for cancer patients and systematically review evidence of their effectiveness in improving psychosocial adjustment. METHODS CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), MEDLINE and PsychINFO databases were used to identify relevant literature published from 1980 to April 2007. Data on characteristics of the peer-support progra...