The Clinical Trial

It is argued that scientific clinical trials are the most ethical way to benefit patients whenever there is uncertainty about proper diagnosis and therapy.

Abstract

This paper argues that scientific clinical trials are the most ethical way to benefit patients whenever there is uncertainty about proper diagnosis and therapy. An increasing number of trials reported in clinical journals have employed randomization since the 1st extensive use of randomized controlled trials after the 2nd World War. A review of 4 examples of the response of physicians to trial results that differ from their own opinions indicates considerable reluctance to accept the results, no matter how well the trials were designed. Such reluctance may gradually disappear as physicians become better educated in clinical trial methodology. A good trial requires that unconscious bias be controlled, that data be recorded in detail and expertly analyzed, and that the sample size be considered when interpreting the results. Procedures designed to handle the ethical issues related to clinical trials include peer review, informed consent, initiation of randomization with the 1st use of a new therapy, reference to the previous outcomes in protocols and informed consent procedures and deferring decisions about when to stop studies to 3rd parties (such as data monitoring committees or policy advisory boards) and avoiding the use of placebos when an effective therapy is known. It is recommended that money for clinical trials be provided from the general medical care budget rather than the 2% that is devoted to all biomedical research.