Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials

2003/12/18 by Gordon C. S. Smith, Jill P Pell · 3 voices · 1,158 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · Psychology · #Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking #Alternative medicine #Cochrane Library #Family medicine #High Altitude and Hypoxia #Injury Epidemiology and Prevention #Internal medicine #Intervention (counseling) #MEDLINE #Medicine #Observational study #Pathology #Physical therapy #Placebo #Psychiatry #Psychological intervention #Randomized controlled trial

paper · open access · doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7429.1459

published in BMJ 327(7429), 1459-1461

openalex publication_date 2003/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether parachutes are effective in preventing major trauma related to gravitational challenge. DESIGN: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases; appropriate internet sites and citation lists. STUDY SELECTION: Studies showing the effects of using a parachute during free fall. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Death or major trauma, defined as an injury severity score > 15. RESULTS: We were unable to identify any randomised controlled trials of parachute intervention. CONCLUSIONS: As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled trials. Advocates of evidence based medicine have criticised the adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of evidence based medicine organised and participated in a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute.

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Discussions

• This was published in 2003 and people still insist that RCTs are the only way to evaluate medical care. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.... [bsky, 13 points, 1 comments]
• Review: Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma [hn, 1 points, 0 comments]
• Every time I encounter the RCT fundamentalists I'm reminded of this: doi.org/10.1136/bmj.... [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]

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