As randomized controlled trials are not always feasible, quasi-experimental methods, such as regression discontinuity design, can expand the scope of clinical investigations aimed at causal inference in observational settings. However, clinical researchers are likely to be less familiar with and have less training in quasi-experimental designs. This article focuses on implementation and provides a detailed checklist, glossary, and guided example for how to conduct an analysis of regression discontinuity design, with the aim to help clinical researchers read, conduct, and interpret regression discontinuity design and, overall, to encourage its wider adoption in clinical practice.
Everyday medical practice is largely shaped by evidence from clinical research activities, such as understanding treatment effects of prescribed drugs, changes in clinical guidelines, or program evaluation of medical services. While such evidence would ideally come from randomized controlled trials, these tria