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Selection of patients for randomized controlled trials: Implications of wide or narrow eligibility criteria
Author(s) -
Yusuf Salim,
Held Peter,
Teo K. K.,
Toretsky Elizabeth Rudin
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
statistics in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.996
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1097-0258
pISSN - 0277-6715
DOI - 10.1002/sim.4780090114
Subject(s) - randomized controlled trial , selection (genetic algorithm) , computer science , simple (philosophy) , medicine , artificial intelligence , surgery , epistemology , philosophy
This paper discusses the various philosophies that influence the selection of patients for entry into randomized controlled trials. Although a number of different and often competing issues have to be considered depending upon the trial, keeping entry criteria simple, wide and at times even flexible is usually preferable. Such a strategy can be a positive virtue by helping to attain the large numbers of patients that are usually needed to reliably detect the sorts of moderate benefits that are plausible, at a reasonable cost and by providing answers that are relevant to many different categories of patients with a particular condition.