title: Single-center trials in neonatology: Issues to consider.
abstract: Single-center randomized controlled trials confer certain advantages over multi-center trials, in that they are cheaper and easier to design and conduct. However, recent research suggests that single-center trials are likely to overestimate treatment effects. There are notable examples in neonatology where results from multi-center trials have contradicted results of single-center studies. In this paper we discuss issues around external generalizability of single-center studies, and methodological issues that may cause bias.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK. Electronic address: iansinha@liv.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ian P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, University of Durham and James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.
authors.forename: Sunil K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sinha
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009359:Neonatology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design
keywords: Evidence-based medicine; Neonatology; Systematic review; Trials