Dictionary of Evidence-based Medicine.pdf

N
N of I trial
An N of 1 trial is a controlled trial in a single individual. Such a trial is
usually randomized and double blind to minimize bias. It is usually used
when the available evidence about a particular intervention is insufficient
or cannot be applied to that individual. A standard design for an N of
1 trial is for the individual patient to take either the drug under study or a
placebo in a randomized, double-blind manner for a pre-determined
period of time. The effects are monitored and a second period of treatment
undertaken in the same way. Periods of paired treatments can be repeated
and conclusions drawn about the relative efficacy of the treatments (Guyatt
GH, Keller JL, Jaeschke R et al. (1990) The n-of-1 randomised controlled
trial: clinical usefulness. Our three year experience. Annals of Internal Medicine.
112: 293-9).
National Co-ordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment
(NCCHTA)
The NCCHTA was established by the UK Department of Health in 1996 to
manage, provide support to, develop and promulgate its health technology
assessment programme. The Centre is a consortium which includes
the Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development at the University
of Southampton and the University of York's Centre for Health
Economics and Department of Health Sciences and Clinical Evaluation
(http://www.soton.ac.uk/~wi/hta/index.html).
National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE)
NICE is an institute being set up by the UK Department of Health to
promote clinical cost-effectiveness and the production and dissemination
of clinical guidelines (DoH (1997) The new NHS. Cmd 3807. HMSO,
London).