Randomized Controlled Trials: Design and Implementation for Community-Based Psychosocial Interventions
Phyllis Solomon, Mary M. Cavanaugh, and Jeffrey Draine
Abstract
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been considered a gold standard for health and social service research for generations of professionals. However, even as methods have developed to accommodate a large number of professional perspectives and fields of intervention, few have adequately addressed the complex nature of RCTs conducted in community settings. In this book, Drs. Solomon, Cavanaugh, and Draine draw on their extensive experience conducting randomized controlled trials to compile a practical and accessible guide to RCTs in community-based practice settings. While providing a deta ... More
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been considered a gold standard for health and social service research for generations of professionals. However, even as methods have developed to accommodate a large number of professional perspectives and fields of intervention, few have adequately addressed the complex nature of RCTs conducted in community settings. In this book, Drs. Solomon, Cavanaugh, and Draine draw on their extensive experience conducting randomized controlled trials to compile a practical and accessible guide to RCTs in community-based practice settings. While providing a detailed, common-sense manual, the authors address numerous design and implementation challenges that are unique to practice settings, which are less-controlled environments than the typical clinic or consultation room. Such issues include: community and agency buy-in to support collaboration, addressing confounds to internal and external validity, and fidelity with complex interventions. These challenges are addressed through a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods that have supported RCT research in community-based settings. This pragmatic guide provides a thorough review of the basic ingredients for working through each step of the RCT process. It offers encouragement and support to enter this richly rewarding and challenging research area.
Keywords:
randomized controlled trials,
evaluation research,
evidence-based practice,
intervention research,
applied research,
community-based psychosocial intervention
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2009 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195333190 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2009 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333190.001.0001 |
