How to plan an experiment I. Randomization: current fad or (ever)lasting fashion?
Journal Title: Archives of Medical Science - Year 2006, Vol 2, Issue 1
Abstract
All those who like experimentation are sooner or later faced with a need of random selection of elements or objects of interest that they want to study (persons, patients, animals, cells, etc.). Randomization, a basic requirement in appropriate planning of experiment, may be performed either to select series of randomly assigned elements/objects or to allocate the studied objects to a given group, medical or diagnostic procedure, treatment protocol, etc. The principal advantage of random selection is to minimize effects of bias and confounding variables, two fundamental threats known to weaken research credibility. Simple, unrestricted random selection can lead to undesirable imbalance in baseline characteristics, thus affecting any credible reasoning. Restricted randomization (with blocking or stratification) includes procedures used along with random sampling that help to achieve balance between study groups in their baseline characteristics or in size. For all researchers conducting biomedical studies randomization ensures a straightforward and reliable analysis of the outcomes, and enables any further generalization of their findings.
Authors and Affiliations
Cezary Watała
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP101947
- DOI -
- Views 192
- Downloads 0
Study of the sperm immobilizing action of furacin
Does carvedilol therapy reduce QT dispersion in patients with heart failure?
Prognosis and long-term observation of a group of patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-elevation (ACS-NSTEMI)
Introduction: The clinical assessment of patients with unstable angina is based not only on clinical symptoms, but also on concomitant diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the adverse outcome in patients re...
INVITED COMMENTARY How to publish (more) effectively?
A link between the outcome of living unrelated kidney transplantation and HLA compatibility: a preliminary report
Introduction: Within the different variables affecting renal allograft outcome in the case of HLA matching, there is continued controversy. There are very few studies regarding this issue in grafts from living unrelated...