The art of quality assessment of RCTs included in systematic reviews.
The best evidence on the efficacy of medical interventions is provided by high-quality trials summarized in high-quality systematic reviews or meta-analyses. The methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review can have a substantial impact on the estimates of the treatment effect and therefore on the conclusions of such a review. But what is the empirical evidence to support quality assessment of randomized clinical trials (RCTs)? We elaborate on questions such as: what is the concept of quality of individual studies (RCTs), can quality be measured validly and reliably? Plans for future research on this issue are proposed.
Verhagen
A P
AP
Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Verhagen@hag.fgg.eur
de Vet
H C
HC
de Bie
R A
RA
Boers
M
M
van den Brandt
P A
PA
D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results