Critical Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Indian journal of critical care medicine 2020-09, Vol.24 (Suppl 4), p.S215-S222
• Main Authors: Nimavat, Balkrishna D, Zirpe, Kapil G, Gurav, Sushma K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Invited Review
• ISSN: 0972-5229; 1998-359X
• DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23638

In the era of evidence-based medicine, healthcare professionals are bombarded with plenty of trials and articles of which randomized control trial is considered as the epitome of all in terms of level of evidence. It is very crucial to learn the skill of balancing knowledge of randomized control trial and to avoid misinterpretation of trial result in clinical practice. There are various methods and steps to critically appraise the randomized control trial, but those are overly complex to interpret. There should be more simplified and pragmatic approach for analysis of randomized controlled trial. In this article, we like to summarize few of the practical points under 5 headings: "5 'Rs' of critical analysis of randomized control trial" which encompass Right Question, Right Population, Right Study Design, Right Data, and Right Interpretation. This article gives us insight that analysis of randomized control trial should not only based on statistical findings or results but also on systematically reviewing its core question, relevant population selection, robustness of study design, and right interpretation of outcome. Nimavat BD, Zirpe KG, Gurav SK. Critical Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(Suppl 4):S215-S222.