Treatment FAQ

type of study where the participant doesn't know what treatment they are getting

by Prof. Sammie Luettgen MD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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In double-blind studies, also known as double-masked studies, participants and researchers are unaware of which treatment the participant receives.

Who is the person responsible for the daily activities of clinical study?

 · If you want to know how effective a treatment or diagnostic test is, randomized trials provide the most reliable answers. Because the effect of the treatment is often compared with "no treatment" (or a different treatment), they can also show what happens if you opt to not have the treatment or diagnostic test.

Why do people participate in clinical trials?

The most common type of descriptive research is the case study, which provides an in-depth analysis of a specific person, group, or phenomenon. While their findings cannot be generalized to the overall population, case studies can provide important information for …

What do participants not know about the research?

Now, if you don't tell the participants whether they're in the test group or the control group, the study is single blind. If you also don't tell the people handing out the pills, the study is double blind. If you also don't tell the people recording the results, the study is triple blind.

What is a subject in a research study called?

If the study is comparing two different doses or two different medications, then the human participants do not know which they are getting. In a “double-blinded study”, neither the study participant nor the investigator know which treatment any one study participant is getting. That information is revealed only once the treatment is over ...

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Which study do participants not know whether they are receiving a treatment?

A double-blind study is one in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. This procedure is utilized to prevent bias in research results. Double-blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect.

What would we call a study where the participants do not know if they are in the control or placebo group but the researchers do?

Blinded study: a study done in such a way that the study participants do not know whether they are getting a placebo (an inactive substance) or a drug, but the study team does know.

What is the name of the research method when neither the doctor nor the patient knows what drug is taken by the patient according to randomization?

A double blind study is a randomized clinical trial in which: You as the patient don't know if you're receiving the experimental treatment, a standard treatment or a placebo, and.

What is blinded and unblinded studies?

If both participants and study staff are blinded, it is called a double blind study....Types of blinding.TypeDescriptionUnblinded or open labelAll parties are aware of the treatment the participant receivesSingle blind or single-maskedOnly the participant is unaware of the treatment they receive2 more rows

What is the difference between observational and interventional studies?

Diagnostic studies are classified as observational studies, but are a unique category and will be discussed independently. Interventional studies, also called experimental studies, are those where the researcher intercedes as part of the study design.

What are the 3 types of observational study?

Three types of observational studies include cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies (Figure 1).

What is a crossover study design?

Listen to pronunciation. (KROS-oh-ver STUH-dee) A type of clinical trial in which all participants receive the same two or more treatments, but the order in which they receive them depends on the group to which they are randomly assigned.

What is concealment in a study?

Allocation Concealment is a technique used to prevent selection bias in Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT's) by concealing the allocation sequence from those assigning participants to the intervention groups, until the moment of assignment.

What are the types of clinical trials?

Types of clinical trialsPilot studies and feasibility studies.Prevention trials.Screening trials.Treatment trials.Multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) trials.Cohort studies.Case control studies.Cross sectional studies.More items...•

What is a Nonblinded study?

Listen to pronunciation. (non-BLINE-ded) Describes a clinical trial or other experiment in which the researchers know what treatments are being given to each study subject or experimental group. If human subjects are involved, they know what treatments they are receiving.

What is blinded study in clinical trials?

A type of study in which the patients (single-blinded) or the patients and their doctors (double-blinded) do not know which drug or treatment is being given. The opposite of a blinded study is an open label study.

What is a triple blinded study?

Triple-blind (i.e., triple-masking) studies are randomized experiments in which the treatment or intervention is unknown to (a) the research participant, (b) the individual(s) who administer the treatment or intervention, and (c) the individual(s) who assess the outcomes.

Which type of study has the most conclusive power?

Experiments are generally the most precise studies and have the most conclusive power. They are particularly effective in supporting hypotheses about cause and effect relationships. However, since the conditions in an experiment are artificial, they may not apply to everyday situations.

What is a case study?

case study: Research performed in detail on a single individual, group, incident, or community, as opposed to (for example) a sample of the whole population. hypothesis: A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further observation and/or experimentation.

How to use correlational research?

With a large sample size, you can use one variable to predict the likelihood of the other when there is a strong correlation between the two. For instance, you could take two measurements from 1,000 families—whether the father is an alcoholic and whether a son is an alcoholic—and calculate the correlation. If there is a strong correlation between the two measurements, it will allow you to predict, within certain limits of probability, what the chances are that the son of an alcoholic father will also have a problem with alcohol.

What is the difference between experimental and descriptive research?

Descriptive research is distinct from correlational research, in which psychologists formally test whether a relationship exists between two or more variables. Experimental research goes a step further beyond descriptive and correlational research and randomly assigns people to different conditions, using hypothesis testing to make inferences about how these conditions affect behavior. Correlational and experimental research both typically use hypothesis testing, whereas descriptive research does not.

What is descriptive research in psychology?

One important kind of descriptive research in psychology is the case study, which uses interviews, observation, or records to gain an in-depth understanding of a single person, group, or phenomenon. Although case studies cannot be generalized to the overall population (as can experimental research), nor can they provide predictive power (as can correlational research), they can provide extensive information for the development of new hypotheses for future testing and provide information about a rare or otherwise difficult-to-study event or condition.

How does experimental research establish causation?

Experimental research tests a hypothesis and establishes causation by using independent and dependent variables in a controlled environment.

What is the meaning of causation in psychology?

causation: The act by which an effect is produced; in psychological research, the assumption that one variable leads to another.

What is the lead investigator of a study called?

Investigators: These are researchers. They are scientists who manage clinical studies. The lead investigator of a study is also called the “Principal Investigator.”

What is an investigational drug?

Investigational drug/device: a new medical drug and/or device that has been tested in a laboratory but has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be legally sold and used by health care providers and/or patients. Investigators: These are researchers.

What is double blind study?

In a “ double-blinded study ”, neither the study participant nor the investigator know which treatment any one study participant is getting. That information is revealed only once the treatment is over.

What is a human subject?

Human subject: a participant who volunteers to be in a clinical study. Informed consent: a patient’s written consent to participate in a clinical study after fully discussing with the researchers all the relevant health-related facts and the risks involved.

What is clinical investigation?

Clinical investigation or ‘clinical research’ or ‘clinical study’ or ‘clinical trial’: research that either directly involves human participants or uses materials of human origin (for example, blood) to test the safety and/or effectiveness of drugs, medical devices, procedures, or preventions.

What is an adverse event in clinical research?

Adverse event: any unexpected change in health or any side effect that occurs in a person while they are still under the effect of a treatment in a clinical trial. All adverse events must be reported to an institutional review board, whether they are serious or minor.

What is a trial protocol?

In research, a trial's protocol describes the procedures (tests and/or treatments) carried out on or by the participants and/or investigators.

Which observational study can calculate both cumulative and cumulative incidence?

Cohort studies are the only observational study that can calculate incidence, both cumulative incidence and an incidence rate (1,3,5,6,10,11). Also, because the inception of a cohort study is identical to a cross-sectional study, both point prevalence and period prevalence can be calculated.

What are the different types of observational studies?

Within primary research there are observational studies and interventional studies . Observational studies, also called epidemiological studies, are those where the investigator is not acting upon study participants, but instead observing natural relationships between factors and outcomes. Diagnostic studies are classified as observational studies, but are a unique category and will be discussed independently. Interventional studies, also called experimental studies, are those where the researcher intercedes as part of the study design. Additionally, study designs may be classified by the role that time plays in the data collection, either retrospective or prospective. Retrospective studies are those where data are collected from the past, either through records created at that time or by asking participants to remember their exposures or outcomes. Retrospective studies cannot demonstrate temporality as easily and are more prone to different biases, particularly recall bias. Prospective studies follow participants forward through time, collecting data in the process. Prospective studies are less prone to some types of bias and can more easily demonstrate that the exposure preceded the disease, thereby more strongly suggesting causation. Table 1describes the broad categories of observational studies: the disease measures applicable to each, the appropriate measures of risk, and temporality of each study design. Epidemiologic measures include point prevalence, the proportion of participants with disease at a given point in time, period prevalence, the proportion of participants with disease within a specified time frame, and incidence, the accumulation of new cases over time. Measures of risk are generally categorized into two categories: those that only demonstrate an association, such as an odds ratio (and some other measures), and those that demonstrate temporality and therefore suggest causation, such as hazard ratio. Table 2outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each observational study design.

What are the factors that determine the study design?

The choice of a study design hinges on many factors, including prior research, availability of study participants, funding, and time constraints. One common decision point is the desire to suggest causation. The most common causation criteria are proposed by Hill (16). Of these, demonstrating temporality is the only mandatory criterion for suggesting temporality. Therefore, prospective studies that follow study participants forward through time, including prospective cohort studies and interventional studies, are best suited for suggesting causation. Causal conclusions cannot be proven from an observational study. Additionally, causation between an exposure and an outcome cannot be proven by one study alone; multiple studies across different populations should be considered when making causation assessments (17).

What is an observational study?

Observational study designs, also called epidemiologic study designs, are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods. Observational study designs include ecological designs, cross sectional, case-control, case-crossover, retrospective and prospective cohorts. An important subset of observational studies is diagnostic study designs, which evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic procedures and tests as compared to other diagnostic measures. These include diagnostic accuracy designs, diagnostic cohort designs, and diagnostic randomized controlled trials.

Why is it important to choose study design?

The appropriate choice in study design is essential for the successful execution of biomedical and public health research. There are many study designs to choose from within two broad categories of observational and interventional studies. Each design has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the need to understand these limitations is necessary to arrive at correct study conclusions.

What is a retrospective study?

Retrospective studies are those where data are collected from the past, either through records created at that time or by asking participants to remember their exposures or outcomes.

What is a categorizing schema?

Common categorization schema include temporal nature of the study design ( retrospective or prospective), usability of the study results (basic or applied), investigative purpose (descriptive or analytical), purpose (prevention, diagnosis or treatment), or role of the investigator (observational or interventional).

Why do people volunteer for clinical trials?

People volunteer to participate in clinical trials for different reasons. Some volunteer because they want to help advance medical knowledge. Others have tried all available treatments for their condition without success.

Who is included in clinical trials?

The clinical trial team includes doctors and nurses, as well as other health care professionals. This team checks the health of the participant at the beginning of the trial and assesses whether that person is eligible to participate. Those found to be eligible--and who agree to participate--are given specific instructions, and then monitored and carefully assessed during the trial and after it is completed.

What does the FDA do?

The FDA often provides extensive technical assistance to researchers conducting clinical trials, helping them design better trials that can characterize effects of a new product more efficiently, while reducing risks to those participating in the trials.

Why is the FDA important?

The FDA is committed to protecting the participants of clinical trials, as well as providing reliable information to those interested in participating. Recently, unethical behavior on the part of some researchers has shaken the public trust and prompted the federal government to establish regulations and guidelines for clinical research to protect participants from unreasonable risks.

What is the FDA's goal in a clinical trial?

The FDA seeks to ensure that people from many different groups are included in clinical trials. Trial guidelines, or eligibility requirements, are developed by the researchers and usually include criteria for age, sex, type and stage of disease, previous treatment history, and other medical conditions.

Why is it important to test medical products?

Groups such as women, blacks, and Hispanics often were not adequately represented. It's important to test medical products in a wide variety of people because drugs can work differently in people of various ages, races, ethnicity, and gender. The FDA seeks to ensure that people from many different groups are included in clinical trials.

What is inclusion criteria?

Inclusion or exclusion criteria--medical or social standards used to determine whether a person may or may not be allowed to enter a clinical trial--help identify appropriate participants and help to exclude those who may be put at risk by participating in a trial. Volunteering for a clinical trial is no guarantee of acceptance.

Why is it important to provide the participant with only the information that is needed for the task at hand?

Even stating seemingly innocuous details might prime an individual to form theories or thoughts that could bias their answers or behavior. It is therefore important to provide the participant with only the information that is needed for the task at hand, and to avoid extraneous detail.

Why is anonymity important in research?

By ensuring that the participants know that their data is truly confidential, they will be more likely to reveal the truth, even if they don’t believe it is of great social desirability. Taking this a step further, complete anonymity – in which the experimenter never meets the participant – could provide the individual with a sense of safety that is conducive to revealing particularly sensitive information.

How does participant bias affect survey results?

One of the additionally confounding impacts of participant bias is that survey results can often still show internal validity (where conclusions based on the findings appear to be correct). It can therefore be difficult to determine if participant bias is even occurring, and attempts to correct for it are ultimately hampered further.

What is participant bias?

Participants will sometimes second-guess what the researcher is after, or change their answers or behaviors in different ways, depending on the experiment or environment [1]. This is called participant bias, or response bias, and it can have a huge impact on research findings.

How to control social desirability bias?

In practice, this is done by telling participants to flip a coin, and to say “yes” if the coin lands on tails, and to tell the truth if the coin lands on heads (or whichever side has been determined to be the “truth” side of the coin).

How to prevent bias in a question?

There are fortunately several ways in which this bias can be prevented and / or corrected for. One of the simplest methods is to ensure that the questions are balanced in their phrasing.

Why do we want to know what people think?

When we carry out psychological research, we want to know what people think. We want to get to the truth of their thoughts and feelings, so that we can learn something about the way that humans tick. In an ideal world, all participants would provide honest and clear answers about their innermost thoughts – but we know that this isn’t always the case.

What is observation study?

Observation study where the researcher actually joins the group or takes part in the situation they are observing.

What is a small scale study?

A small scale study conducted to ensure the method will work according to plan. If it doesn’t then amendments can be made.

Why are instructions given to each participant kept identical?

The instructions given to each participant are kept identical – to help prevent experimenter bias.

Why is participant behaviour distorted?

Participants’ behaviour is distorted as they modify this in order to be seen in a positive light.

What is condition A followed by B?

A way of trying to control for order effects in a repeated measures design, e.g. half the participants do condition A followed by B and the other half do B followed by A

What does "influenced" mean in a study?

Refers to how likely it is that the time period when a study was conducted has influenced the findings and whether they can be generalised to other periods in time

What is the aim of debriefing?

After completing the research, the true aim is revealed to the participant. Aim of debriefing = to return the person to the state s/he was in before they took part.

What is change in a participant's behaviour due to their belief that they are receiving some kind of experimental treatment?

Any change in a participant's behaviour due to their belief that they are receiving some kind of experimental treatment and they respond in accordance with that belief , rather than to the effect of the IV.

Who knows which participants are in the experimental or control groups?

Neither the participant nor the researcher interacting with the participants knows which participants are in the experimental or control groups.

What is a sampling procedure?

A sampling procedure which involves dividing the population to be sampled into different subgroups (strata), then selecting a separate sample from each subgroup (or stratum) in the same proportions as they occur in the population of interest.

What is naturally occurring behaviour of interest?

Naturally occurring behaviour of interest is viewed by a researcher in an inconspicuous manner so that the researcher's presence has no influence on the behaviour being observed.

What is the purpose of the variable in an experiment?

The variable in an experiment the researcher chooses to measure in order to assess the effect (s) of the independent variable (s).

What is systematically changing the order of treatments or tasks for participants in a 'balanced' way

Systematically changing the order of treatments or tasks for participants in a 'balanced' way to 'counter' the unwanted effects on performance of any one order.

What is an experiment design?

An experiment research design for which each participant is in both the experimental and control conditions.

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