Randomized controlled trials in diving and hyperbaric medicine.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are widely accepted as the most appropriate methodology available for the investigation of health interventions. This is because of the low potential for systematic bias and the ability to assume causality. Well-designed RCTs, often modified by the addition of blinding participants to the treatment allocated, greatly assist physicians and funding agencies in deciding on the most effective and cost-efficient methods available to prevent and treat ill health. One of the problems for hyperbaric physicians is the widely scattered nature of the evidence, making retrieval and appraisal problematic. This review assembles the randomized evidence in order to assist practitioners, discusses the nature of randomized trials and explores approaches to designing and performing powerful and convincing trials in this area. It is extracted from the UHMS Report Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Indications.
UNSW Medicine, University of NSW, Randwick, NSW, Australia. m.bennett@unsw.edu.au
Michael H
MH
Bennett
D001634:Bibliographies as Topic; D004242:Diving; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods; D012042:Registries