biostatistics and clinical epidemiology
concepts
controlled clinical trials
measurement, data sources and coding, and research methods
A clinical trial is defined as a controlled, prospective assessment of an intervention for a disease or condition in human beings. In general, the purposes of randomized clinical trials, or Phase III trials, are to evaluate the efficacy of a novel treatment relative to an observation/placebo arm, or a standard therapy, or to determine whether an experimental treatment is more effective than a standard therapy having lesser morbidity. [Source: Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making; Randomized Clinical Trials]
randomized clinical trials