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Related Concept Videos

Surveys02:16

Surveys

Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
Clinical Trials01:16

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are prospective experimental studies conducted on humans to determine the safety and efficacy of treatments, drugs, diet methods, and medical devices. Using statistics in clinical trials enables researchers to derive reasonable and accurate conclusions from the collected data, allowing them to make wise decisions in uncertain situations. In medical research, statistical methods are crucial for preventing errors and bias.
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
Ethics in Research01:56

Ethics in Research

Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.
Blinding01:11

Blinding

Blinding is a commonly used method of not telling participants which treatment a subject is receiving. Blinding is a critical part of a randomized control trial or RCT. It reduces the bias that affects the results. In an RCT, blinding is used in the form of a placebo. A placebo effect occurs when untreated subjects falsely believe they have received the treatment and report improved symptoms. A placebo or a dummy treatment is administered to subjects to negate the bias caused by such an effect.
Randomized Experiments01:13

Randomized Experiments

The randomization process involves assigning study participants randomly to experimental or control groups based on their probability of being equally assigned. Randomization is meant to eliminate selection bias and balance known and unknown confounding factors so that the control group is similar to the treatment group as much as possible. A computer program and a random number generator can be used to assign participants to groups in a way that minimizes bias.
Simple randomization
Simple...

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Methods to Test Visual Attention Online
09:44

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Published on: February 19, 2015

Methodological challenges in online trials.

Elizabeth Murray1, Zarnie Khadjesari, Ian R White

  • 1University College London, Director, E-health Unit, Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW, UK. Elizabeth.murray@pcps.ucl.ac.uk

Journal of Medical Internet Research
|May 1, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Online health trials offer cost savings and improved validity. This paper addresses key challenges in conducting internet-based health intervention studies, using a hazardous drinking intervention as an example.

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Area of Science:

  • Digital health
  • Health services research
  • Clinical trial methodology

Background:

  • Healthcare delivery is increasingly shifting online.
  • Evaluating online interventions online enhances external validity and can reduce costs.
  • Few health intervention trials have been conducted entirely online.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe major methodological issues in online health trials.
  • To examine how the online context impacts these issues.
  • To illustrate potential solutions using a case study.

Main Methods:

  • Review of methodological challenges in online trials: recruitment, randomization, intervention fidelity, retention, and data quality.
  • Analysis of how the online environment influences these challenges.
  • Case study of the DownYourDrink online trial for hazardous drinkers.

Main Results:

  • Online recruitment can be efficient but may affect sample representativeness.
  • Maintaining intervention fidelity and participant retention requires specific online strategies.
  • Data quality in online trials needs careful management and validation.

Conclusions:

  • Conducting health intervention trials online presents unique methodological hurdles.
  • Addressing issues like recruitment, fidelity, retention, and data quality is crucial for successful online trials.
  • Further development of online trial methodologies is necessary to support the growth of digital health interventions.