Using evidence from randomized trials in fertility practice

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are central to the understanding of treatment effectiveness and diagnostic test utility. If they are to be relied upon in clinical practice, data from trials should have three main attributes: validity (be free from bias); clinical relevance (be based on patients similar to your own, reporting outcomes that matter to them); and importance (demonstrate effect sizes that are large enough to justify the costs and risks entailed). With these principles in mind, this brief article reviews key questions to pose while deciding whether new evidence from RCTs should influence subfertility patient care.