The Reporting guidelines followed for randomized Controlled trial is

RRB Nsg. Superintendent -29 April-2025 (shift-2nd)

Nursing Research & Statistics

Easy

Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent -29 April-2025 (shift-2nd)

Explanation

CONSORT stands for Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials.
It is an evidence-based, minimum set of recommendations for reporting Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs).
The guideline includes a 25-item checklist and a flow diagram to ensure transparent and complete reporting.
Adherence to CONSORT helps readers to understand a trial's design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation, and to assess the validity of its results.

Option A: PRISMA is the reporting guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, not for individual randomized controlled trials.
Option B: STROBE is the reporting guideline for observational studies, such as cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies.
Option D: CARE guidelines are used for writing and publishing case reports, which describe the clinical course of one or a few individuals.

Visual 1: Flowchart - The CONSORT flow diagram, which visually tracks participants through the four stages of a trial: enrollment, allocation, follow-up, and analysis.
Visual 2: Table - A summary table matching major research study types (RCT, Observational, Systematic Review, Case Report) with their corresponding reporting guidelines (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Reporting guidelines for clinical research studies as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding reporting guidelines like CONSORT is fundamental for evidence-based nursing practice. It allows nurses to critically appraise the quality of an RCT before deciding to implement its findings in patient care.
A nurse manager evaluating a new protocol based on a recent RCT would use the CONSORT checklist to verify if the study was well-conducted and transparently reported, ensuring the evidence is reliable.
What if a nurse is appraising a cohort study on risk factors for a disease? They should use the STROBE checklist, not CONSORT, to assess the study's methodological quality and risk of bias.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question, which is 'reporting guidelines' for a specific type of study.
Next, identify the specific study design mentioned: 'Randomized Controlled Trial' (RCT).
Recall the different reporting guidelines and the study designs they correspond to. This is a factual recall question.
Match the study design (RCT) with its correct guideline (CONSORT).
If unsure, use the process of elimination. Think about what PRISMA (Systematic Reviews), STROBE (Observational Studies), and CARE (Case Reports) are for, which would leave CONSORT as the correct answer for an RCT.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QcEiaxbGSvd7qytNGy266l