CRITICAL-EVALUATION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH

This focused review contains a suggested core of material that will he lp residents or practicing physiatrists critically review research pap ers published in the medical literature. Before accepting the results of a clinical trial, physiatrists must critique the experimental metho ds and study design carefully to decide whether to include these new i deas into their clinical practice. Medical research relies on statisti cal methodology, and statistics pervade the medical literature. This a rticle begins with an introduction to rudimentary statistics. Fortunat ely, most studies depend on a rather small body of statistical concept s. The elements of experimental design-clinical trials, randomization, single-subject design, meta-analysis, epidemiological studies-are pre sented in a concise review. Finally, the elements of statistics and ex perimental design are integrated into a step-by-step method strategy f or reading the medical literature. (C) 1995 by the American Congress o f Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicin e and Rehabilitation