Meaning of Proposed Causal Inference Framework for the JAMA Network

The Special Communication “Causal Inferences About the Effects of Interventions From Observational Studies in Medical Journals,” published in this issue of JAMA, provides a rationale and framework for considering causal inference from observational studies published by medical journals. Our intent is to invite discussion of this framework, explore its application in the context of specific study designs, and actively examine how this framework could be implemented and used by authors, peer reviewers, and editors of medical journals, including JAMA and the journals of the JAMA Network. Our overarching goal is to ensure that findings from observational designs may be appropriately interpreted in thoughtful and circumspect manners and applied by readers, other researchers, and clinicians, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care and public and global health.