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University of Western Australia: Bias Minimisation, randomisation and blinding
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University of Western Australia’s explanation of why random allocation to comparison groups and blinding (if possible) are important.
Key Concepts addressed:- 2-2 Comparison groups should be similar
- 2-5 People should not know which treatment they get
- 2-7 All should be followed up
- 2-8 Consider all of the relevant fair comparisons
- 2-17 Don’t confuse “statistical significance” with “importance”
- 3-1 Do the outcomes measured matter to you?
Details
Bias minimisation; Study Methodology
- Randomisation eliminates investigator bias in allocating patients to different treatment arms.
- Blinding can avoid bias due to patient or observer knowledge of treatment allocation. Blinding can be through use of placebo or sham treatment. In a single blind study, only the patient or observer is unaware of the treatment allocation.