External validity of randomised controlled trials: "to whom do the results of this trial apply?".

Journal article

In making treatment decisions, doctors and patients must take into account relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews. Relevance depends on external validity (or generalisability)--ie, whether the results can be reasonably applied to a definable group of patients in a particular clinical setting in routine practice. There is concern among clinicians that external validity is often poor, particularly for some pharmaceutical industry trials, a perception that has led to...

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Authors: Rothwell, P

• Journal: Lancet
• Volume: 365
• Issue: 9453
• Pages: 82-93
• Publication date: 2005-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(04)17670-8
• EISSN: 1474-547X
• ISSN: 0140-6736
• Language: English
• Keywords: Decision Making; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Review Literature as Topic; Humans; Publishing; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Evidence-Based Medicine; Reproducibility of Results; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Patient Selection; Treatment Outcome