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Current Allergy and Asthma Reports
Published in: Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 6/2011

Open Access 01-12-2011 | Asthma (William J. Calhoun and Jean Bousquet, Section Editors)

Reassessing the Evidence Hierarchy in Asthma: Evaluating Comparative Effectiveness

Authors: David Price, Alison Chisholm, Thys van der Molen, Nicolas Roche, Elizabeth V. Hillyer, Jean Bousquet

Published in: Current Allergy and Asthma Reports | Issue 6/2011

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Abstract

Classical randomized controlled trials are the gold standard in medical evidence because of their high internal validity. However, their necessarily strict design can limit their external validity and the ability to extrapolate these data to real world patients. Therefore, alternatively designed studies may play a complementary role in evaluating the comparative effectiveness of therapies in nonidealized patients in more naturalistic, real world settings. Observational studies have high external validity and can evaluate real world outcomes. Their strength lies in hypothesis generation and testing and in identifying areas in which further clinical trials may be required. Pragmatic trials are designed to maximize applicability of trial results to usual care settings by relying on clinically important outcomes and enrolling a wide range of participants. A combination of these approaches is preferable and necessary.
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Metadata
Title
Reassessing the Evidence Hierarchy in Asthma: Evaluating Comparative Effectiveness
Authors
David Price
Alison Chisholm
Thys van der Molen
Nicolas Roche
Elizabeth V. Hillyer
Jean Bousquet
Publication date
01-12-2011
Publisher
Current Science Inc.
Published in
Current Allergy and Asthma Reports / Issue 6/2011
Print ISSN: 1529-7322
Electronic ISSN: 1534-6315
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-011-0222-7

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