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The clinical utility of randomized controlled trials
Author(s) -
Wilson G. Terence
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199807)24:1<13::aid-eat2>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , randomized controlled trial , clinical practice , clinical trial , medicine , psychology , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , intensive care medicine , physical therapy , developmental psychology , surgery
Objective Efficacy studies using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), on which empirically supported treatments are based, are often rejected as having little if any relevance to clinical practice. RCTs are faulted for allegedly excluding poor prognosis patients and therapists and treatments that are unrepresentative of clinical practice. Methods: Evidence on the generalizability of findings from RCTs to diverse patient populations, different therapists, and varied clinical settings is critically evaluated. Results: Existing research indicates that RCTs commonly include patients with multiple problems and levels of disturbance as severe as patients in clinical settings. Discussion: The applicability of the findings of RCTs to clinical practice will be a changing function of the nature of the particular study and clinical setting to which the results are to be generalized. Future research should address the clinical utility of the findings of efficacy studies across different patient populations, therapists, and treatment methods. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 24:13–29, 1998.