Really hard questions: trials, real-world evidence, and patient values. Archimedes April 2026

When is a trial not a trial? Can you make a big dataset work as if it was randomised? Can we really use real-world evidence rather than trial evidence for clinical decision-making? Read here: https://adc.bmj.com/content/111/4/373.2

 

The hardest decisions are those where the answer is truly complex, evolving and really involves an understanding of patient values and attitudes. This is a non-traditional Archimedes that attempts to address such a query with a fictional patient with long QT syndrome and a desire to go and do competitive sports. It needs to be read slowly and digested: https://adc.bmj.com/content/111/4/373.1

 

This podcast is written and presented by Dr Bob Phillips (York District Hospital, UK), Archimedes section editor of Archives of Disease in Childhood. He brings you the monthly episode about evidence-based medicine for paediatricians.

 

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