SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.31 issue9Applications of transcranial color-coded duplex sonography in monitoring neurocritical patientsOverdose of metformin secondary to acute renal insufficiency: a report of six cases author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • Have no similar articlesSimilars in SciELO
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Medicina Intensiva

Print version ISSN 0210-5691

Abstract

LATOUR-PEREZ, J.  and  CABELLO-LOPEZ, J.B.. Early interruption of clinical trials: too good to be true?. Med. Intensiva [online]. 2007, vol.31, n.9, pp.518-520. ISSN 0210-5691.

The interruption of a randomized clinical trial when the experimental treatment is clearly superior is an ethical obligation. However, performing multiple intermin statistical analyses and the early interruption of the trial increase the possibility of alpha error, favor the overestimation of the effect, and facilitate the introduction of ineffective therapies data monitoring. Currently available empirical evidence suggests that early interrupted clinical trials overestimate the effects of new treatments and that the reasons used to justify interrupting the trial are often not sufficiently specified. This underlines the need for truly independent data monitoring committees and recommends the use of predefined restrictive rules for the interruption of a trial. Furthermore, clinicians should provide themselves with an adequate dose of skepticism and critical reading skills to enable them to explore some key aspects of these studies.

Keywords : randomized clinical trials; data monitoring committees; intermediate analyses; statistical error; ethics.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish

 

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License