1. Traditional and Alternative Research Designs and Methods in Clinical Pediatric Psychopharmacology
- Author
-
Jeffrey Newcorn and WILLIAM E. PELHAM, JR.
- Subjects
Research design ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Population ,MEDLINE ,Double-Blind Method ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,medicine ,Humans ,Ethics, Medical ,Medical physics ,Child ,education ,Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ,Flexibility (engineering) ,Protocol (science) ,Psychotropic Drugs ,education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Mental Disorders ,Patient Selection ,Clinical study design ,Clinical trial ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Treatment Outcome ,Research Design ,Sample size determination ,Feasibility Studies ,business - Abstract
Objective To review both traditional and alternative research designs and methods in pediatric psychopharmacology. Method Study designs used in clinical trials in psychiatry were selected for review with the special considerations of pediatric psychopharmacological trials in mind. Where possible, a reference to a specific published trial in pediatric psychopharmacology was provided for each design. Results It appears that pediatric psychopharmacology trials require a relatively greater flexibility in design to avoid significant study biases. Alternative research designs may be preferable to the traditional approaches, particularly when the use of the latter may raise important issues of feasibility. Conclusions Evolution of a clinical research hypothesis to a study protocol in pediatric psychopharmacology is a manageable task if one keeps in mind essential elements such as selection of study design, population, sample size, treatment duration, and efficacy assessments.
- Published
- 1996