Cluster randomized trial (CRT) is one of the most common design for complex intervention. This paper mainly introduced:the definition of CRT, two designs of CRT including the completely randomization and the restricted randomization (such as stratified randomization and matching randomization), and the statistical analysis methods (such as the general statistical analysis and mixed effect model/multi-level model). This paper also introduced how to estimate the sample size of a CRT, how to report a CRT, and how to apply it into a clinical or community study.
The risk of bias assessment tool 2.0 (RoB 2.0) for analyzing cluster randomized trials and crossover trials (revised version 2021) has been updated. The current paper briefly delineates the history of the RoB 2.0 tool and includes an explanation and interpretation of the updated contents and software operation process for use with cluster randomized trials and crossover trials. Compared with the previous versions, the updated RoB 2.0 tool (revised version 2021) has the advantage of precise language and is easily understood. Thus, the updated RoB 2.0 tool merits popularization and further general application.
