Generalised findings

December 1, 2005 at 4:04 pm | In Critical Appraisal Tips |

Evidence from trials should be interpreted carefully to ensure that conclusions and recommendations are not applied to groups of patients who were not represented in the trials.

It is inappropriate to extrapolate the findings of a study to a patient group or type who were not present in the study.

For example, some studies of depression are undertaken in severely depressed patients. The effects seen in these trials should not be extrapolated to cases of minor depression as the actual clinical effects in these patients were not covered in the study.