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Article: Save the baby: reviving deduction and refocusing induction in clinical research.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
- Article from:
- Ear, Nose and Throat Journal
- Article date:
- October 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Vendome Group LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Evidence-based medicine is rapidly gaining ground as the gold-standard tool for medical decision making. The consensus "grade-A" evidence format is the supersized version of the workhorse of clinical validation: the randomized controlled trial (RCT). As authors struggle to give voice to their work, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with mega-populations have become the order of the day. Because of the hierarchical nature implied by the grading system, any deviation from this format will be downgraded accordingly. Journals will be hard-pressed to publish anything but highly graded studies, but is this the only form of medical evidence that ...