Randomized clinical trials: in pursuit of higher standards

Excerpt

As clinicians we aim to practice evidence-based medicine (EBM) for which the best source remains the peer-reviewed scientific journals. Whereas there is a move towards the use of registries to analyse and compare medical practice, one of the pillars of EBM is the publication of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In their article on methodological reporting quality, Chen et al. [1] looked at the quality of randomized trials in three leading publications: the Spine Journal, Spine and the European Spine Journal. Although the execution of blinded RCTs in the field of surgery and rehabilitation is fraught with difficulties, their findings are sobering. We could certainly be doing better at a number of different levels. …