On Differences Between Explanatory and Pragmatic Clinical Trials (Research Report‪)‬

ABSTRACT The evidence-based medicine movement is likely to continue as an important force in healthcare. This has numerous implications for physiotherapists. One of these includes the need for physiotherapists to be research literate. Hence, a working understanding of research methodology is a necessary skill. Most readers will be familiar with the importance of randomised clinical trials in the assessment of interventions. Many however, may be less familiar with the two principal forms of randomised clinical trial: pragmatic trials and explanatory trials. This article aims to clarify these two research designs and explain why pragmatic designs are generally better suited to the assessment of physiotherapy interventions. Alford L (2006): On differences between explanatory and pragmatic clinical trials. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy 35(1) 12-16.