A nursing student asks a nurse about pharmaceutical research and wants to know the purpose of randomization in drug trials. The nurse explains that randomization is used to:
a. ensure that differences in outcomes are the result of treatment and not differences in subjects.
b. compare the outcome caused by the treatment to the outcome caused by no treatment.
c. make sure that researchers are unaware of which subjects are in which group.
d. prevent subjects from knowing which group they are in and prevent preconception bias.
ANS: A
Randomization helps prevent allocation bias, which can occur when researchers place subjects with desired characteristics in the study group and other subjects in the control group so that differences in outcome are actually the result of differences in subjects and not treatment. Comparing treatment outcome to no treatment outcome is the definition of a controlled study. The last two options describe the use of blinding in studies; blinding ensures that researchers or subjects (or both) are unaware of which subjects are in which group so that preconceptions about benefits and risks cannot bias the results.
You might also like to view...
A patient is being treated for latent tuberculosis on an outpatient basis and tells the nurse during a scheduled follow-up visit, "I've been feeling pretty good lately, so I haven't actually been all that consistent with taking my drugs
" Subsequent health education should focus on what subject? A) The fact that nonadherence to treatment exacerbates the risks of adverse effects B) The need to consistently take the prescribed drugs in order to cure TB C) The need to match drug dosages carefully to signs and symptoms D) The fact that nonadherence will necessitate the use of antiretrovirals
The nurse clarifies that the ability to localize a gene on a specific chromosome is the technique of:
a. Gene pooling b. Autosomal pairing c. Gene mapping d. Autosomal identification
The type of angina that is characterized by vasospasm is ________.
A. stable angina B. exertional angina C. ischemia D. Prinzmetal angina
Which of the following statements about the female reproductive process is correct?
a. Fertilisation usually occurs in the uterus. b. Ovulation occurs following the LH (luteinising hormone) surge c. Rebuilding the endometrium is under the control of prolactin d. The monthly discharge of the uterus (menses) is initiated by the increase in female steroid hormones.