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Randomized Controlled Trials

Meaning

The gold standard of clinical research design, a prospective study in which participants are randomly assigned to either an experimental intervention group or a control group (receiving a placebo or standard care). This randomization minimizes selection bias and ensures that any observed differences in outcomes between the groups are attributable to the intervention itself. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence for establishing cause-and-effect relationships in medicine, forming the foundation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.