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In the Era of Systematic Reviews, Does the Size of an Individual Trial Still Matter?

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  • Gordon H Guyatt
  • Edward J Mills
  • Diana Elbourne

Abstract

: Systematic reviews that combine high-quality evidence from several trials are now widely considered to be at the top of the hierarchy of clinical evidence. Given the primacy of systematic reviews—and the fact that individual clinical trials rarely provide definitive answers to a clinical research question—some commentators question whether the sample size calculation for an individual trial still matters. Others point out that small trials can still be potentially misleading.

Suggested Citation

  • Gordon H Guyatt & Edward J Mills & Diana Elbourne, 2008. "In the Era of Systematic Reviews, Does the Size of an Individual Trial Still Matter?," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(1), pages 1-3, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pmed00:0050004
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050004
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    Cited by:

    1. Rebecca M Turner & Sheila M Bird & Julian P T Higgins, 2013. "The Impact of Study Size on Meta-analyses: Examination of Underpowered Studies in Cochrane Reviews," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-8, March.
    2. Alex Eble & Peter Boone & Diana Elbourne, 2017. "On Minimizing the Risk of Bias in Randomized Controlled Trials in Economics," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 687-707.
    3. Akinori Hisashige & Nobuyuki Shimizu & Yasuyuki Seto, 2021. "Cost-Effectiveness of Early Oral Feeding Following Total Gastrectomy," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(1), pages 1-64, January.

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