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What is one key concept about RCTs you understand well?

What area of RCTs is still unclear or needs further explanation?

How confident do you feel about critically appraising RCT articles? (Scale of 1–5)

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How they compare

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One of the most important study design for evaluating whether an intervention genuinely works

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One of the most important study design for evaluating whether an intervention genuinely works

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Rigorous prospective experimental Study. Measures the Impact of Intervention. Randomly assigning 2-10 participants.

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A randomised controlled trial (RCT) is an experimental study where participants are randomly assigned to different groups.

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Position of RCTs

RCTs are near the top of the evidence hierarchy because they provide strong evidence about treatment effectiveness and causal relationships. Only systematic reviews and meta-analyses of multiple high-quality RCTs are generally considered stronger evidence.

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The three core questions CASP helps you answer:

1. Was the study well-designed? Was the methodology appropriate? Was randomisation done properly? Were the right people included? This checks whether the study was set up in a way that could actually answer the research question.

2. Can we trust the results? Were there any biases? Were participants followed up properly? Were the outcomes measured consistently? This checks whether the findings are valid and reliable.

3. Is it relevant to real-life practice? Can the results be applied to your specific patient or population? Are the benefits worth the risks? This connects the research to the real world — for example, to Mr. Ahmed's case.

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RCT is an experimental research study in which participants are randomly assigned to different groups, usually an intervention group and a control group.

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Participants are randomly selected which does not make the results biased

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A Randomized Controlled Trial is a study design where participants are randomly assigned to either:

Intervention group – receives the new treatment, service, or program.

Control group – receives a placebo, usual care, or no intervention.

Randomization minimizes bias, making RCTs the gold standard for evaluating causality.

2. Use in Health Care

RCTs are common in medicine, nursing, public health, and clinical services.

Examples:

Testing a new drug against a placebo.

Comparing two types of physiotherapy for back pain.

Evaluating whether nurse-led follow-up reduces hospital readmissions.

Key strength:

Provides strong evidence that the intervention causes the observed effect.

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Rac's how is important to critical analyse

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A Randomised Controlled Trial is a study where people are randomly placed into different groups to test a treatment. It is called the gold standard because it reduces bias and gives reliable results.

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A Randomised Controlled Trial is a study where people are randomly placed into different groups to test a treatment. It is called the gold standard because it reduces bias and gives reliable results.

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Why do we need a structured framework like PICO when forming research questions?

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Randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies measure the effectiveness of a new intervention or treatment. 

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Randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies measure the effectiveness of a new intervention or treatment. 

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Randomized controlled Trial studies placed near the top of the evidence pyramid and systemic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs

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RCT is a randomised control trial it is a specific intervention causes a specific outcome to reduce symptoms

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A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) is a study in which participants are randomly assigned to a treatment or control group to test whether an intervention works. It is the gold standard in evidence-based medicine because it reduces bias and provides strong evidence of cause and effect. RCTs are near the top of the evidence hierarchy, below systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Key parts of an RCT include the research question, sample size, randomisation, groups, outcome measures, follow-up, and ethical approval.

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As the group agreed, the PATHWAY-1 study included randomisation and double-blinding to decrease bias; our group concluded that it was a strong RCT. Although the results should be considered alongside NICE guidelines and individual patient factors, we also agreed that the data support evidence-based practice.