Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Review Comparative Study
Randomized controlled trials: part 17 of a series on evaluation of scientific publications.
In clinical research, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the best way to study the safety and efficacy of new treatments. RCTs are used to answer patient-related questions and are required by governmental regulatory bodies as the basis for approval decisions. ⋯ RCTs cannot yield reliable data unless they are planned, conducted, analyzed, and reported in ways that are methodologically sound and appropriate to the question being asked. The quality of any RCT must be critically evaluated before its relevance to patient care can be considered.
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Failure to thrive impairs children's weight gain and growth, their defenses against infection, and their psychomotor and intellectual development. ⋯ The proper treatment of failure to thrive in childhood consists of treatment of the underlying illness, combined with nutritional treatment that addresses the mechanism of the accompanying failure to thrive.