With the gradual standardization and improvement of the real-world study system, real-world evidence, as a supplement to evidence from classical randomized controlled trials, is increasingly used to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. High-quality real-world evidence is not only related to the quality of real-world data, but also depends on the type of study design. Therefore, as one of the important designs for pragmatic clinical trials, the Zelen design has received much attention from investigators in recent years. This paper discussed the implementation processes, subtypes of design, advantages, limitations, statistical concerns, and appropriate application scenarios of the Zelen design, on the basis of published papers, in order to clarify its application value, and to provide references for future research.