Randomized controlled trial (RCT)

  

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 4-page paper, discuss the merits and shortcomings of the RCT as a study design with regard to:

Internal      validity
Confounding
Feasibility/appropriateness
External      validity

Length: 4 pages typed, double-spaced. Scholarly Resources required. APA format
Helpful resources:
Martin, G. (2013, October 28). Research Methods – Introduction. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/PDjS20kic54?list=PLpBtsPaXxxLhPd6QVtqB5EjIs0LYGqWK_
Martin, G. (2013, November 3). Cohort and Case Control Studies. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/J3GHTYa-gZg?list=PLpBtsPaXxxLhPd6QVtqB5EjIs0LYGqWK_
Martin, G. (2013, November 10). Randomized Control Trials and Confounding. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/7ybuE39BpQ8?list=PLpBtsPaXxxLhPd6QVtqB5EjIs0LYGqWK_
Melamed, A., & Robinson, J. N. (2019). Case-control studies can be useful but have many limitations: Study design: Case-control studies. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 126(1), 23-23. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.15200
Melamed, A., & Robinson, J. N. (2018). A study design to identify associations: Study design: Observational cohort studies. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 125(13), 1776-1776. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.15203
Sedgwick, P. (2015). Bias in observational study designs: Case-control studies. British Medical Journal, 350(jan30 4), h560-h560. doi:10.1136/bmj.h560
Thiese, M. S. (2014). Observational and interventional study design types; an overview. Biochemia Medica, 24(2), 199–210. http://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2014.022
Randomized Controlled Trial – Study Design 101. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/tutorials/studydesign101/rcts.cfm
What is a randomised clinical trial? | MRC Clinical Trials … (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.ctu.mrc.ac.uk/patients-public/about-clinical-trials/what-is-a-randomised-clinical-trial/