Pragmatic trials revisited: applicability is about individualization

Fifty years ago, Schwartz and Lellouch [1] published in the Journal of Chronic Diseases (the predecessor to the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology) the seminal article that described the differences between “explanatory” and “pragmatic” attitudes in therapeutic trials. Explanatory trials aim to understand how and why a clinical intervention works under ideal conditions. By contrast, pragmatic trials (also referred to as “practical,” “naturalistic,” or “effectiveness” trials) aim to guide real-word decisions about alternative interventions.

Source: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology - February 9, 2018 Category: Epidemiology Authors: Jos é A. Sacristán, Tatiana Dilla Tags: Commentary Source Type: research