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Question: Study Design
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You design a study to compare a new antiviral to treat herpangina to placebo. During the trial, some of the parents stop giving their children the new drug because it tastes bad, and some (but fewer) parents stop giving their children the placebo because they forget to give it. During the analysis, you compare the outcomes based on the patients’ assignment to their original group.
Kelly June 26, 2018 - 10:31 am
A) Intention to treat analysis
The intention to treat method of analysis is preferred as it simulates how a study treatment will perform compared to the control treatment “in real life”. Some might consider it “unfair” since more of the study patients did not actually receive the active antiviral, but the study results will reflect the treatment’s actual effectiveness, including the fact that some children will not take it because it tastes bad.