title: Study design and hierarchy of evidence for surgical decision making.
abstract: This article provides a historical overview of the hierarchy of evidence for surgical decision making and discusses key study designs in the hierarchy of evidence. This encompasses meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and observational studies, including cohort and case-controlled studies, case series and case reports, and basic science studies. This article also reviews the principles and importance of evidence-based plastic surgery and describes several systems to rate the strength of the scientific evidence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, 293 Wellington Street North, Suite 110, Hamilton, ON L8L 8E7, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: Achilleas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thoma
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D012107:Research Design; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000592:standards