What Is a Randomized Clinical Trial?

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What Is a Randomized Clinical Trial and How To Find One Fast?

Are you interested in taking part in a randomized clinical trial but not sure where to start? Whether you want to participate in clinical trials because it’s the last resort for you or you’re a healthy volunteer looking to be paid for your contribution to science, you should know more about what you’re getting into.

Medical jargon is ever so confusing and hard to comprehend, but DoNotPay will break down the mystery of randomized clinical trials so that you can make an informed decision!

After all, our app is the first platform that can help you search for clinical trials based on what kind of study you’re looking for—we find trials based on individual settings, such as age, gender, condition, and research location.

What Is a Randomized Clinical Trial?

A randomized clinical trial, also known as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), is a research study in which people are randomly divided into two or more groups to be tested for a new type of medication.

Don’t get confused by the randomized clinical trial definition because these studies are not some random medical surveys. The former are safe, carefully controlled experiments that use the process of randomization to reach objective results, while the latter are questionnaires that medical and pharmaceutical companies distribute to collect various information.

Scientists allocate participants randomly because they try to circumvent any accidental bias. This is how the randomized controlled trials work:

  1. Participants are randomly divided into groups
  2. The experimental group receives the new medication, and the control group is given a placebo, conventional treatment, or no treatment at all
  3. The groups are compared, and scientists use the data they acquire from the testing to determine the efficiency of the new drug

Randomized clinical trials are usually not performed in the early phases of clinical trials—phases one and two.

The most common types of randomization are:

  • Simple
  • Stratified
  • Unequal

Simple Randomization in Clinical Trials

This type of randomization can be compared to tossing a coin. Researchers use a random number generator to decide which group gets which treatment. The medication that’s distributed might be a new active substance or placebo, but the subject doesn’t know which one they’re getting. In this kind of blind randomization, the researcher working on the testing doesn’t know which treatment is distributed to which participant either.

The problem that might occur with this type of randomization is an imbalance in assigning the treatment. Since the participants are randomly assigned a drug, the number of those getting placeboes might be greater than the number of those getting the new medication. This type of randomization is usually performed in smaller groups.

Stratified Randomization in RCT Clinical Trials

During stratified randomization, researchers study how the covariates—characteristics of the participants, such as age, gender, previous treatments, or other diseases—influence the results of the trial. Scientists design blocks for every combination of the covariates and assign every participant to a specific block.

The downside of this method is that the scientists sometimes can’t determine the exact number of participants they’ll need or have to work with. This happens when not all subjects are identified before the allocation or when participants apply for clinical trials one at a time over a longer period.

Unequal Randomization in RCT Clinical Trials

Unequal randomization is statistically the most efficient one. It allows scientists to gather data from the entire sample population because they get to expose more subjects to the experimental drug than to the controlled medicine.

The downside of this randomization is that researchers might not be able to determine significant differences between the experiment and control group. This type of randomization is also more expensive than others.

Find RCT Clinical Trials With the Help of DoNotPay

DoNotPay has a clinical trial database in which you can find clinical trials that are interesting to you. You don’t have to bother with searching for clinical trials near you when you have an app that will do it for you.

DoNotPay will present you with a survey about what your preferences are and, by means of an individualized algorithm, provide you with all the medical case studies, volunteer opportunities, and other clinical trials you’re eligible for. You may apply for an unlimited number of studies and change your preferences anytime you see fit.

DoNotPay doesn’t charge any fees, which means that all compensation you get from the clinical trial is yours in full.

To look for a study or a clinical trial, open DoNotPay in your and follow the instructions listed below:

  1. Sign in to your DoNotPay account
  2. Click on Clinical Trials
  3. Select Get Started
  4. Set up the filters for what you are looking for in a clinical trial—time, location, topic, and more
  5. Select a study that you’d like to join
  6. Tap on Contact

When you select a study, DoNotPay will present you with all the details about it—the necessary information, eligibility criteria, and the compensation.

Our app has a special feature that you might find helpful—real-time notifications, which will inform you whenever a new study appears if it’s in accordance with your preferences.

Are There Other Websites That Enable You To Find a Randomized Clinical Study?

Yes, other websites can help you find clinical trials too. Here are some suggestions:

WebsiteSteps

ClinicalTrials.gov

  1. Go to the web page
  2. Click on Find Studies
  3. Fill in all the fields
  4. Click on Search

ResearchMatch

  1. Create a ResearchMatch profile
  2. Give information about yourself
  3. Wait for the platform to match you with a researcher
  4. Choose whether you want to participate in a study that the researcher offers you

NIH Clinical Center

  1. Go to the website
  2. Scroll down and click on Join a Clinical Trial
  3. Find Search the Studies option and click on it
  4. Enter a keyword and all other required information
  5. Click on Search

What Other Issues Can DoNotPay Sort Out For You?

DoNotPay is the first AI Consumer Champion app that also can act as your personal assistant. Our app was honored with the ABA Brown Award for Legal Access, and we can provide you with all the necessary legal assistance you need for small claims court disputes.

Apart from helping you with legal issues, DoNotPay can also help you cancel your online pharmacy services such as Healthy Paws, Express Scripts, CVS CarePass, and others.

If you have a hard time paying your medical or hospital bills after insurance, DoNotPay can help with this too.

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