Abstract
Advanced practice providers in oncology are now likely to encounter real-world data (RWD) studies in addition to data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in their practice. Real-world evidence derived from RWD can provide important information about a therapeutic agent’s effectiveness outside of the confines of RCTs. It is important to understand how these studies are conducted and how data from these two types of studies can be interpreted and integrated for practical clinical use and shared decision-making. The goal of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the fundamental aspects of RWD studies and what is required to conduct a robust RWD study. Recently published studies are cited to demonstrate how RWD studies complement RCTs.
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