Health science researchers have long believed the randomized controlled trial (RCT) to be the “gold standard” of study designs. There are many reasons for their contention that an RCT should be preferred to any of the observational study designs. However, there are also instances in which employment of this design would be inappropriate.

In a four-page paper, discuss the merits of the RCT as a study design with regard to:

1) Internal validity

2) Confounding

3) Feasibility/appropriateness

4) External validity