- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Epigraph
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Language of Clinical Trials
- 3 The Recipe for Trials
- 4 The Stages of Trials
- 5 The Anatomy of Trials
- 6 Authorship and Credits
- 7 The Nature of Trials
- 8 The Ethics of Trials
- 9 Regulation of Trials
- 10 Research Misconduct
- 11 Myths Regarding Trials
- 12 Tricks of the Trade from a Cynic
- 13 Reading Between the Lines, or How to Read a Journal Article
- 14 Critics and Criticisms
- 15 What to Make of Results
- 16 Biostatistics 101
- 17 Subgroup Analysis vs. Data Dredging
- 18 Meta-analyses and Systematic Reviews
- 19 Re-Search
- 20 Shopping for a Trial?
- 21 Readings
- 22 Clinical Trials and Our Health
- 23 Final Exam
- 24 Last Words
- Appendix A <i>The Mother Test for Designers of Trials</i>
- Appendix B <i>Rating Index for Clinical Trials</i>
- Appendix C A Patient’s Guide for Deciding Whether to Enroll in a Randomized Trial
- Appendix D Abbreviations
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Re-Search
Re-Search
- Chapter:
- (p.165) 19 Re-Search
- Source:
- An Insider’s Guide to Clinical Trials
- Author(s):
Curtis L. Meinert
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This chapter considers the factors behind the conflicting results of clinical trials. The fact is that truth in medicine is elusive and fleeting. That which is “truth” today is passé tomorrow. The tried-and-true method of coming to what we accept as “truth” in science is by replication. However replication, in the strict sense of usage, is impossible in trials. No two trials are the same. The enrollment criteria will differ, the data collection schedules will differ, the treatment protocols will differ, even the treatments may be different. Hence, a single trial that reproduces a positive result seen in a previous trial is not sufficient to establish the value of that treatment. It takes multiple trials, usually spanning a period of years if not decades. There is no “trial master” in the sky. There is nobody to ensure a stream of trials until a consensus view develops. Nor is there anyone to shut off trials once the “answer is in.” Replication becomes duplication when the answer is in. But, when is that point reached? There is no bright line of demarcation.
Keywords: clinical trials, medical research, treatment, truth, replication
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- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Epigraph
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Language of Clinical Trials
- 3 The Recipe for Trials
- 4 The Stages of Trials
- 5 The Anatomy of Trials
- 6 Authorship and Credits
- 7 The Nature of Trials
- 8 The Ethics of Trials
- 9 Regulation of Trials
- 10 Research Misconduct
- 11 Myths Regarding Trials
- 12 Tricks of the Trade from a Cynic
- 13 Reading Between the Lines, or How to Read a Journal Article
- 14 Critics and Criticisms
- 15 What to Make of Results
- 16 Biostatistics 101
- 17 Subgroup Analysis vs. Data Dredging
- 18 Meta-analyses and Systematic Reviews
- 19 Re-Search
- 20 Shopping for a Trial?
- 21 Readings
- 22 Clinical Trials and Our Health
- 23 Final Exam
- 24 Last Words
- Appendix A <i>The Mother Test for Designers of Trials</i>
- Appendix B <i>Rating Index for Clinical Trials</i>
- Appendix C A Patient’s Guide for Deciding Whether to Enroll in a Randomized Trial
- Appendix D Abbreviations
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
