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Dr. James Lind conducted the first documented clinical trial in 1747 as he attempted to cure scurvy with citrus fruit (Miller et al., 2020). His research was a planned comparative trial between twelve participants.
The experimental method includes randomized control trials (RCTs) which are deemed the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to evidence based practice (Walker, 2005). This method design attempts to prove a hypothesis by guiding an experiment to test it (Carr, 1994). It is the most common type of research in the healthcare system. Although it is the traditional approach to medical research due to its applications, it does have its limitations. Below are two lists representing the power and limitation of the experimental method.
Strengths
Strengths
its strongest asset: internal validity or causality and its ability to connect cause and effect
researchers ensure that all variables that might affect the results are controlled (dependent, independent or confounding)
generates numerical results that can be analyzed into statistics
RCTs can typically provide a generalizable sample which is representative of the target population when executed correctly
trials can obtain reliable data to direct intervention or treatment plans
its power is related to control group vs intervention group
this design reduces systematic biases and can eliminate inaccurate conclusion
ability to confidently state if the treatment/subject of trial is effective/ineffective, thus the importance of getting a statistical conclusion validity
Weaknesses
Weaknesses
Primary weakness: its external generalizability is limited since life is often more complex than in the experiment
sampling participants: can be difficult to make them maintain the treatment/placebo plan expected by the experiment
quantitative data: as it generates numerical data, it can not be analyzed at the same time as the study is being conducted
human trials: comes with a multitude of external influences and ethical implications, thus the importance of obtaining an informed consent
results can be falsified by outside unexpected variables that can affect the dependent variables, such as situational, participant, experimenter, and demand characteristic variables
the Hawthorne effect: participants starts acting a certain way when aware of the treatment, unless it is a blinded study
usually requires recruiting more participants to make the results more generalizable
When the experimental method is executed correctly, it can generate results that can help create policies and procedures, and improve treatment plans for patients (Walker, 2005). Random sampling of participants increases the strengths of the experimental method. More power is added when the treatment vs control can be blinded to the patient, and even more so when it is a double-blinded study. Despite its clear advantages, the researchers should always consider its limitations, as it can be prone to ethical issues, can create unrealistic situations, and the researchers can not always control all the variables.
Short video explaining the randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
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