Download or read book Introduction to Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials written by John N.S. Matthews and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-06-26 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evidence from randomized controlled clinical trials is widely accepted as the only sound basis for assessing the efficacy of new medical treatments. Statistical methods play a key role in all stages of these trials, including their justification, design, and analysis. This second edition of Introduction to Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials prov

Download or read book Randomized Controlled Trials written by Alehandro R. Jadad and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-07-23 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Randomized controlled trials are one of the most powerful and revolutionary tools of research. This book is a convenient and accessible description of the underlying principles and practice of randomized controlled trials and their role in clinical decision-making. Structured in a jargon-free question-and-answer format, each chapter provides concise and understandable information on a different aspect of randomized controlled trials, from the basics of trial design and terminology to the interpretation of results and their use in driving evidence-based medicine. The authors end each chapter with their musings, going beyond the evidence or citations, and sometimes even beyond orthodox correctness to share their thoughts and concerns about different aspects of randomized controlled trials, and their role within the health system. Updated to include insights from the last decade, this second edition challenges over-reliance on randomized controlled trials by debating their strengths and limitations and discussing their optimal use in modern healthcare. It also includes a new and increasingly relevant chapter on the ethics of randomized trials. World renowned writers and thinkers Drs Jadad and Enkin bring you this invaluable book for busy health professionals who wish to understand the theory of randomized controlled trials and their influence on clinical, research or policy decisions.

Download or read book Analysis of Data from Randomized Controlled Trials written by Jos W.R. Twisk and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-10-15 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a practical guide to the analysis of data from randomized controlled trials (RCT). It gives an answer to the question of how to estimate the intervention effect in an appropriate way. This problem is examined for different RCT designs, such as RCTs with one follow-up measurement, RCTs with more than one follow-up measurement, cluster RCTs, cross-over trials, stepped wedge trials, and N-of-1 trials. The statistical methods are explained in a non-mathematical way and are illustrated by extensive examples. All datasets used in the book are available for download, so readers can reanalyse the examples to gain a better understanding of the methods used. Although most examples are taken from epidemiological and clinical studies, this book is also highly recommended for researchers working in other fields.

Download or read book Randomized Controlled Trials written by Phyllis Solomon and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-02 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered by many researchers and providers to be the gold standard of health and social service effectiveness research. However, there exist scant resources that deal with the complex nature of designing and implementing RCTs in community-based settings. This clearly written pocket guide provides researchers and social service practitioners insight into each step of an RCT. The goal of this text is to enable readers to understand, design, and implement a community-based RCT. From the initial stage of planning the RCT and developing its conceptual foundations through implementation, the authors provide a wealth of detail and case studies from social work practice research that assist readers to comprehend the detailed information provided. Accessible, concrete advice is woven throughout the text and tackles the many design and implementation challenges that arise in community practice settings. The importance of utilizing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods is encouraged due to the intricate nature of RCT research in community-based environments. Through utilizing practical case examples, this pocket guide reviews the essentials of RCTs in a manner that will appeal to researchers, practitioners and students alike who are seeking the necessary tools to build the empirical knowledge base for community-based psychosocial interventions for social work.

Download or read book A Practical Guide to Using Qualitative Research with Randomized Controlled Trials written by Alicia O'Cathain and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Researchers measure the effectiveness of new interventions using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). They are increasingly using qualitative research with these RCTs to explain the results of RCTs or facilitate the viability and efficiency of RCTs. A Practical Guide to Using Qualitative Research with Randomized Controlled Trials is a "how-to" book about the use of qualitative research with RCTs. Divided into three parts, this book covers the process of using qualitative research with RCTs from start to finish. Section one outlines overarching issues such as the many contributions qualitative research can make to generating evidence of effectiveness, section two provides practical guidance from writing a proposal through to publishing qualitative research undertaken with RCTs, and the final section guides the reader on how to engage with relevant stakeholders. Each chapter focuses on the key steps of undertaking qualitative research in RCTs, giving examples of how to write a proposal, select research questions, integrate qualitative and quantitative components, and much more. A Practical Guide to Using Qualitative Research with Randomized Controlled Trials is ideal for researchers who are leading, undertaking, or planning to use qualitative research with RCTs. With its detailed explanations and inspiring examples, this book is also useful for postgraduate students wishing to conduct qualitative research in the context of an RCT.

Download or read book Validity and Inter Rater Reliability Testing of Quality Assessment Instruments written by U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The internal validity of a study reflects the extent to which the design and conduct of the study have prevented bias(es). One of the key steps in a systematic review is assessment of a study's internal validity, or potential for bias. This assessment serves to: (1) identify the strengths and limitations of the included studies; (2) investigate, and potentially explain heterogeneity in findings across different studies included in a systematic review; and (3) grade the strength of evidence for a given question. The risk of bias assessment directly informs one of four key domains considered when assessing the strength of evidence. With the increase in the number of published systematic reviews and development of systematic review methodology over the past 15 years, close attention has been paid to the methods for assessing internal validity. Until recently this has been referred to as “quality assessment” or “assessment of methodological quality.” In this context “quality” refers to “the confidence that the trial design, conduct, and analysis has minimized or avoided biases in its treatment comparisons.” To facilitate the assessment of methodological quality, a plethora of tools has emerged. Some of these tools were developed for specific study designs (e.g., randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, case-control studies), while others were intended to be applied to a range of designs. The tools often incorporate characteristics that may be associated with bias; however, many tools also contain elements related to reporting (e.g., was the study population described) and design (e.g., was a sample size calculation performed) that are not related to bias. The Cochrane Collaboration recently developed a tool to assess the potential risk of bias in RCTs. The Risk of Bias (ROB) tool was developed to address some of the shortcomings of existing quality assessment instruments, including over-reliance on reporting rather than methods. Several systematic reviews have catalogued and critiqued the numerous tools available to assess methodological quality, or risk of bias of primary studies. In summary, few existing tools have undergone extensive inter-rater reliability or validity testing. Moreover, the focus of much of the tool development or testing that has been done has been on criterion or face validity. Therefore it is unknown whether, or to what extent, the summary assessments based on these tools differentiate between studies with biased and unbiased results (i.e., studies that may over- or underestimate treatment effects). There is a clear need for inter-rater reliability testing of different tools in order to enhance consistency in their application and interpretation across different systematic reviews. Further, validity testing is essential to ensure that the tools being used can identify studies with biased results. Finally, there is a need to determine inter-rater reliability and validity in order to support the uptake and use of individual tools that are recommended by the systematic review community, and specifically the ROB tool within the Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program. In this project we focused on two tools that are commonly used in systematic reviews. The Cochrane ROB tool was designed for RCTs and is the instrument recommended by The Cochrane Collaboration for use in systematic reviews of RCTs. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale is commonly used for nonrandomized studies, specifically cohort and case-control studies.

Download or read book Field Trials of Health Interventions written by Peter G. Smith and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "IEA, International Epidemiological Association, Welcome Trust."

Download or read book Randomized Control Trials in the Field of Development written by Florent Bédécarrats and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In October 2019, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer jointly won the 51st Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. But what is the exact scope of their experimental method, known as randomized control trials (RCTs)? Which sorts of questions are RCTs able to address and which do they fail to answer? The first of its kind, Randomized Control Trials in the Field of Development: A Critical Perspective provides answers to these questions, explaining how RCTs work, what they can achieve, why they sometimes fail, how they can be improved and why other methods are both useful and necessary. Bringing together leading specialists in the field from a range of backgrounds and disciplines (economics, econometrics, mathematics, statistics, political economy, socioeconomics, anthropology, philosophy, global health, epidemiology, and medicine), it presents a full and coherent picture of the main strengths and weaknesses of RCTs in the field of development. Looking beyond the epistemological, political, and ethical differences underlying many of the disagreements surrounding RCTs, it explores the implementation of RCTs on the ground, outside of their ideal theoretical conditions and reveals some unsuspected uses and effects, their disruptive potential, but also their political uses. The contributions uncover the implicit worldview that many RCTs draw on and disseminate, and probe the gap between the method's narrow scope and its success, while also proposing improvements and alternatives. Without disputing the contribution of RCTs to scientific knowledge, Randomized Control Trials in the Field of Development warns against the potential dangers of their excessive use, arguing that the best use for RCTs is not necessarily that which immediately springs to mind. Written in plain language, this book offers experts and laypeople alike a unique opportunity to come to an informed and reasoned judgement on RCTs and what they can bring to development.

Download or read book Biostatistics in Clinical Trials written by Carol K. Redmond and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2001-04-25 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second volume in the Wiley reference series in Biostatistics. Featuring articles from the prestigious Encyclopedia of Biostatistics, many of which have been fully revised and updated to include recent developments, Biostatistics in Clinical Trials also includes up to 25% newly commissioned material reflecting the latest thinking in: Bayesian methods Benefit/risk assessment Cost-effectiveness Ethics Fraud With exceptional contributions from leading experts in academia, government and industry, Biostatistics in Clinical Trials has been designed to complement existing texts by providing extensive, up-to-date coverage and introducing the reader to the research literature. Offering comprehensive coverage of all aspects of clinical trials Biostatistics in Clinical Trials: Includes concise definitions and introductions to numerous concepts found in current literature Discusses the software and textbooks available Uses extensive cross-references helping to facilitate further research and enabling the reader to locate definitions and related concepts Biostatistics in Clinical Trials offers both academics and practitioners from various disciplines and settings, such as universities, the pharmaceutical industry and clinical research organisations, up-to-date information as well as references to assist professionals involved in the design and conduct of clinical trials.

Download or read book Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education written by Keith Morrison and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a recent surge in the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) within education globally, with disproportionate claims being made about what they show, ‘what works’, and what constitutes the best ‘evidence’. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship from across the world, Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education critically addresses the increased use of RCTs in education, exploring their benefits, limits and cautions, and ultimately questioning the prominence given to them. While acknowledging that randomized controlled trials do have some place in education, the book nevertheless argues that this place should be limited. Drawing together all arguments for and against RCTs in a comprehensive and easily accessible single volume, the book also adds new perspectives and insights to the conversation; crucially, the book considers the limits of their usefulness and applicability in education, raising a range of largely unexplored concerns about their use. Chapters include discussions on: The impact of complexity theory and chaos theory. Design issues and sampling in randomized controlled trials. Learning from clinical trials. Data analysis in randomized controlled trials. Reporting, evaluating and generalizing from randomized controlled trials. Considering key issues in understanding and interrogating research evidence, this book is ideal reading for all students on Research Methods modules, as well as those interested in undertaking and reviewing research in the field of education.

Download or read book Using Randomised Controlled Trials in Education written by Paul Connolly and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2017-07-03 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), most commonly a medical sciences research tool, is a hotly debated topic in Education. This book examines the controversial aspects of RCTs in Education and sets out the potential and pitfalls of the method. Drawing on their own extensive experience of running RCTs, and their work at the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation (CESI) at Queen’s University, Belfast, the authors provide a thorough practical introduction to the use of randomised controlled trials in education. Using real data sets, chapters equip the reader with all of the key knowledge and skills required to design, run, analyse and report an RCT. Coverage includes: · Step-by-step guidance on analysing data · How to assess the reliability and validity of results · Advice on balancing the demands of various stakeholders Essential reading for postgraduate and more experienced researchers, as well as teachers and educationalists seeking to increase their knowledge and understanding of the use of such methods in education.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Research Strategies for Clinical Psychology written by Jonathan S. Comer and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mental health problems impose a staggering worldwide public health burden. Regrettably, whereas many sciences have been progressing for centuries (e.g., biology, chemistry) it is only recently that the strategies of science have been applied to the field of clinical psychology. At this relatively early stage in the science of clinical psychology, the majority of work is ahead of us, and as such the prepared investigator must be familiar with the full portfolio of modern research strategies-a set of 'directions' for getting from 'here' to 'there.' To continue to move the science of clinical psychology forward, investigators benefit when they systematically rely on research strategy "routes" that achieve favorable balances between scientific rigor and clinical relevance. With this need in mind, The Oxford Handbook of Research Strategies for Clinical Psychology has recruited some of the field's foremost experts to explicate the essential research strategies currently used across the modern clinical psychology landscape that maximize both precision and significance. Chapters in this volume address design, measurement, and analytic strategies for clinical psychology, including comprehensive coverage of: - effective laboratory methods in experimental psychopathology, single-case experimental designs, small pilot trials, the randomized controlled trial, adaptive and modular treatment designs, and dissemination methods and models - change measurement, observational coding, measurement of process variables across treatment, structural and functional brain imagining, and experience sampling data collection methods - statistical power, correlation and regression, randomized clinical trial data analysis, conventions in mediation and moderation analysis, structural equation modeling, meta-analytic techniques, item-response theory, and the appropriate handling of missing data. The book concludes with an integrative summary of research strategies addressed across the volume, and guidelines for future directions in research methodology, design, and analysis that will keep our young science moving forward in a manner that maximizes scientific rigor and clinical relevance.

Download or read book Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trials written by Cynthia J. Girman and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trials Using Primary Data Collection and Electronic Health Records addresses the practical aspects and challenges of the design, implementation, and dissemination of pragmatic randomized trials, also sometimes referred to as practical or hybrid randomized trials. While less restrictive and more generalizable than traditional randomized controlled trials, such trials have specific challenges which are addressed in this book. The book contains chapters encompassing common designs along with advantages and limitations of such designs, analytic aspects in planning trials and estimating sample size, and how to use patient partners to help design and operationalize pragmatic randomized trials. Pragmatic trials conducted using primary data collection and trials embedded in electronic health records - including electronic medical records and administrative insurance claims - are addressed. This comprehensive resource is valuable not only for pharmacoepidemiologists, biostatisticians and clinical researchers, but also across the biomedical field for those who are interested in applying pragmatic randomized clinical trials in their research. Addresses typical designs and challenges of pragmatic randomized clinical trials (pRCTs) Encompasses analytic aspects of such trials Discusses real cases on operational challenges in launching and conducting pRCTs in electronic health records

Download or read book Complex Interventions in Health written by David A. Richards and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Health and human services currently face a series of challenges – such as aging populations, chronic diseases and new endemics – that require highly complex responses, and take place in multiple care environments including acute medicine, chronic care facilities and the community. Accordingly, most modern health care interventions are now seen as ‘complex interventions’ – activities that contain a number of component parts with the potential for interactions between them which, when applied to the intended target population, produce a range of possible and variable outcomes. This in turn requires methodological developments that also take into account changing values and attitudes related to the situation of patients’ receiving health care. The first book to place complex interventions within a coherent system of research enquiry, this work is designed to help researchers understand the research processes involved at each stage of developing, testing, evaluating and implementing complex interventions, and assist them to integrate methodological activities to produce secure, evidence-based health care interventions. It begins with conceptual chapters which set out the complex interventions framework, discuss the interrelation between knowledge development and evidence, and explore how mixed methods research contributes to improved health. Structured around the influential UK Medical Research Council guidance for use of complex interventions, four sections, each comprised of bite-sized chapters written by multidisciplinary experts in the area, focus on: - Developing complex interventions - Assessing the feasibility of complex interventions and piloting them - Evaluating complex interventions - Implementing complex interventions. Accessible to students and researchers grappling with complex interventions, each substantive chapter includes an introduction, bulleted learning objectives, clinical examples, a summary and further reading. The perspectives of various stakeholders, including patients, families and professionals, are discussed throughout as are the economic and ethical implications of methods. A vital companion for health research, this book is suitable for readers from multidisciplinary disciplines such as medical, nursing, public health, health services research, human services and allied healthcare backgrounds.

Download or read book The State of Economics the State of the World written by Kaushik Basu and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading economists address the ongoing challenges to economics in theory and practice in a time of political and economic crises. More than a decade of financial crises, sovereign debt problems, political conflict, and rising xenophobia and protectionism has left the global economy unsettled and the ability of economics as a discipline to account for episodes of volatility uncertain. In this book, leading economists consider the state of their discipline in a world of ongoing economic and political crises. The book begins with three sweeping essays by Nobel laureates Kenneth Arrow (in one of his last published works), Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz that offer a summary of the theoretical foundations of modern economics—the twin pillars of general equilibrium theory and welfare economics. Contributors then turn to macroeconomic stabilization and growth and, finally, new areas of research that depart from traditional theory, methodology, and concerns: climate change, behavioral economics, and evolutionary game theory. The 2019 Nobel Prize laureates, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer, contribute a paper on the use of randomized control trials indevelopment economics. Contributors Philippe Aghion, Ingela Alger, Kenneth Arrow, Abhijit Banerjee, Kaushik Basu, Lawrence Blume, Guillermo Calvo, Francesco Caselli, Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Shantayanan Devarajan, Esther Duflo, Samuel Fankhauser, James Foster, Varun Gauri, Xavier Gine, Gäel Giraud, Gita Gopinath, Robert Hockett, Karla Hoff, Ravi Kanbur, Aart Kraay, Michael Kremer, David McKenzie, Célestin Monga, Maurice Obstfeld, Hamid Rashid, Martin Ravallion, Amartya Sen, Luis Servén, Hyun Song Shin, Nicholas Stern, Joseph Stiglitz, Cass Sunstein, Michael Toman, Jörgen Weibull

Download or read book Principles of Research Design and Drug Literature Evaluation written by Rajender R. Aparasu and published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers. This book was released on 2014-03-07 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Principles of Research Design and Drug Literature Evaluation is a unique resource that provides a balanced approach covering critical elements of clinical research, biostatistical principles, and scientific literature evaluation techniques for evidence-based medicine. This accessible text provides comprehensive course content that meets and exceeds the curriculum standards set by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Written by expert authors specializing in pharmacy practice and research, this valuable text will provide pharmacy students and practitioners with a thorough understanding of the principles and practices of drug literature evaluation with a strong grounding in research and biostatistical principles. Principles of Research Design and Drug Literature Evaluation is an ideal foundation for professional pharmacy students and a key resource for pharmacy residents, research fellows, practitioners, and clinical researchers. FEATURES * Chapter Pedagogy: Learning Objectives, Review Questions, References, and Online Resources * Instructor Resources: PowerPoint Presentations, Test Bank, and an Answer Key * Student Resources: a Navigate Companion Website, including Crossword Puzzles, Interactive Flash Cards, Interactive Glossary, Matching Questions, and Web Links From the Foreword: "This book was designed to provide and encourage practitioner’s development and use of critical drug information evaluation skills through a deeper understanding of the foundational principles of study design and statistical methods. Because guidance on how a study’s limited findings should not be used is rare, practitioners must understand and evaluate for themselves the veracity and implications of the inherently limited primary literature findings they use as sources of drug information to make evidence-based decisions together with their patients. The editors organized the book into three supporting sections to meet their pedagogical goals and address practitioners’ needs in translating research into practice. Thanks to the editors, authors, and content of this book, you can now be more prepared than ever before for translating research into practice." L. Douglas Ried, PhD, FAPhA Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas

Download or read book Randomised Controlled Clinical Trials written by Christopher J. Bulpitt and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bradford Hill has defined a clinical trial as "A carefully and ethically designed experiment with the aim of answering some precisely framed question" [1]. This definition specifies a careful design and requires the provision of adequate controls. Random allocation of treatments to subjects is important to ensure is entitled that the treated and control groups are similar. Therefore this book Randomised Controlled Clinical Trials. We can define a randomised controlled trial by rewriting Bradford Hill's definition as follows, "A carefully and ethi cally designed experiment which includes the provision of adequate and ap propriate controls by a process of randomisation, so that precisely framed questions can be answered. " I am a firm advocate ofRandomised Controlled Clinical Trials but intend to give a balanced view of the advantages and disadvantages of these ethical experiments. This book is directed primarily at the medical research worker, although certain chapters may find a wider application. When discussing a randomised controlled trial, it is neither practicable nor desirable to divorce theory from practice, however the first ten chapters con centrate mainly on theory, and the remainder focus on practice. The segment on trial design is followed by sections on writing the protocol, designing the forms, conducting the trial, and analysing the results. This book is meant to serve both as a reference manual and a practical guide to the design and performance of a trial.