Relevant evidence

Are the interventions different from those available to you?

Always ask yourself if the interventions evaluated in fair comparisons are relevant.

For example, a fair comparison of the effects of an intervention delivered in an inpatient setting or delivered by an experienced practitioner may not provide a reliable estimate of its effects and safety in other settings, or in the hands of less experienced practitioners.

Similarly, comparing a new intervention to a placebo or an intervention that is not accessible to you would not provide a relevant estimate of how the new intervention compares to commonly used interventions.

REMEMBER: Ask whether the interventions available to you are sufficiently different from those in the research studies that the results may not apply to you.