Rigorous scoping review of randomized trials in pediatric critical care highlights need for a rigorous rethink

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) remains the highest-ranked study design when grading recommendations for clinical practice. In the previous issue of Critical Care, Duffett and colleagues published a scoping review of RCTs in pediatric critical care medicine and identified some serious gaps in the body of research underlying the field. Relatively few published RCTs were identified, and they were mostly small and potentially susceptible to bias. High patient heterogeneity, relatively low prevalence of specific disorders such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or septic shock, along with relatively low mortality rates, all make it difficult to improve this situation without the collaboration of pediatric critical care research networks internationally. Designing a robust RCT that can impact clinical practice has always been challenging. First, one must assess current clinical practice and disease prevalence, refine definitions and measurements, and pilot-test the intervention to be studied. The first step, however, is to rigorously assess what has already been done. This step will be facilitated by the now available, innovative, online, searchable repository of RCTs in pediatric critical care on the Evidence in Pediatric Critical Care website.