Practical Application

Multigroup Pre-Test Post-Test Design

Blood Pressure Medication Efficacy Scenario

("Medication")

A research hospital is testing a new blood pressure medication. The researchers are looking to determine the efficacy of the new drug on participants diagnosed with stage 2 hypertension over a 12-month period compared to a control population who do not receive the new medication. The following sections review the participant selection criteria and study design to demonstrate how a multigroup pre-test post-test design is done.

Participant Selection

Participants selected must meet the following criteria:

A member of the general population - men and women between the ages of 40 to 80 at the start of the study
Not be taking any anti-hypertensive medications currently or throughout the duration of the study
Not be taking any medications that currently impact blood pressure as a side effect
Have been diagnosed with stage 2 hypertension: systolic blood pressure >140 and/or diastolic blood pressure >90

("Blood pressure")

Study Design

Participants are randomly assigned from the general population using a random number generator into two experimental groups and one control group. The first experimental group, group A, will receive a high-dose blood pressure medication, the second experimental group, group B, will receive a low-dose blood pressure medication, and the control group will receive an inactive blood pressure medication, the placebo. A pre-test is completed by assessing the baseline blood pressure of participants prior to treatment initiation. The participants are then followed over a 12-month period to examine their response to the blood pressure medication versus placebo. A post-test blood pressure of participants is then evaluated quarterly (at the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 12 month marks) to determine the efficacy of the blood pressure medication.

(Franchignoni et al., 2010)

("Ryan")

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