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Randomized Clinical Trial

Meaning

A Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) is the most rigorous and highest-quality study design in evidence-based medicine, serving as the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy and safety of a new intervention, such as a drug, device, or lifestyle modification. In an RCT, participants are randomly allocated to receive either the intervention being tested or a control intervention, such as a placebo or standard care. This fundamental methodology minimizes selection bias and confounding variables, allowing for the most direct causal inference between the intervention and the observed health outcome.