Randomised controlled trials

Question 1

Define a clinical trial?

Answer 1

prospective cohort study comparing the effect and value of intervention against controls in human subjects

Question 2

What would you do to select a cohort

Answer 2

inclusion criteria like demographic and disease
define exclusion criteria
define sample size

Question 3

What are the two different errors and define them?

Answer 3

type 1 - conclude that there was a difference when there wasn’t one
type 2 - conclude there was no error when there was one

Question 4

Define power

Answer 4

probability of concluding there was a difference when there is one

Question 5

What is the purpose of random allocation?

Answer 5

eliminate selection bias

Question 6

What is simple randomisation?

Answer 6

like tossing a coin use random number however gives uneven groups

Question 7

When are crossover designs used?

Answer 7

the condition being treated is chronic and stable

the effect of the intervention should have rapid onset and short duration

Question 8

Define p -value

Answer 8

the likelihood that a result arose by chance