Evaluating the Quality of Trial Methodology
*Vance Berger, NIH Keywords: Flawed evaluation of trial quality allows flawed trials to thrive (get funded, obtain IRB approval, get published, serve as the basis of regulatory approval, and set policy). A reasonable evaluation of clinical trial quality would have to recognize that any one of a large number of potential biases could by itself completely invalidate the trial results. In addition, clever new ways to distort trial results toward a favored outcome may be devised at any time. Finally, the vested financial and other interests of those conducting the experiments and publishing the reports need to cast suspicion on any aspect of clinical trial quality that is inadequately reported. Putting these ideas together, we see that an adequate evaluation of clinical quality would need to enumerate all known biases, update this list periodically, score the trial with regard to each potential bias, give no credit when
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Key Dates
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April 30 - May 22, 2013
Invited Abstract Submission Open -
June 4, 2013
Online Registration Opens -
August 9 - August 23, 2013
Invited Abstract Editing -
August 23, 2013
Short Course materials due from Instructors -
August 26, 2013
Housing Deadline -
September 9, 2013
Cancellation Deadline and Registration Closes @ 11:59 pm EDT -
September 16 - September 18, 2013
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