Randomized clinical trials are the gold standard for establishing many clinical practice guidelines and are central to evidence based medicine. Obtaining the best evidence through clinical trials must be done within the boundaries of rigorous science and ethical principles. One fundamental principle is that trials should not continue longer than necessary to reach their objectives. Therefore, trials must be monitored for recruitment progress, quality of data, adherence to patient care or prevention standards, and early evidence of benefit or harm. Frequently, a group of external experts,...

This book aims to make the readers better informed and more critical consumers of clinical research. It will help the reader recognize the strengths and the weaknesses of scientific publications. In doing so, the reader will be able to distinguish patient-important and methodologically sound studies from those having limitations in design, conduct and interpretation. The text is basic and has no statistical formulas. Key take-home messages are listed at the end of each chapter. Cartoons make the text easier to read and generate a few laughs, and they underscore specific points, sometimes...