Six myths about controlled trials in perinatal medicine

Despite a historical commitment to evaluation of the results of practice, obstetrics has missed many opportunities to assess new therapies adequately prior to their widespread use. Although randomized controlled trials are generally recognized as the best method of evaluating therapy, a number of myths about these trials have impeded both their performance and the implementation of their results. The unscientific nature of these myths is discussed, and examples from the perinatal literature are presented.