When we look at answering a research question using a systematic review it’s common to look for the best available evidence. This usually comes in the form of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which randomise people into one of 2 or more different groups and then compare the differences.
But what happens if there is little or no evidence from high quality RCTs to look at for a given question. In some cases it may be unethical to randomise people to receive a certain health intervention . Can you imagine randomising pregnant women to take a drug in order to look at the harms it may cause to the child?
Well the Cochrane Epilepsy Group have been looking at just these types of questions in their reviews. And the evidence that contributes to finding answers about risks and harms is mostly carried out using non-randomised studies. Now some of these studies…
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