Clinical Trials

❘❙❚■ PrefacePrefaceRandomized controlled trials are rightly seen as the key means by which newtreatments and interventions are evaluated for their safety and efficacy. There arenow more randomized trials being undertaken and published than ever before –they provide the cornerstone of evidence-based medicine in current practice.Hence, more and more people from a broad range of professional backgroundsneed to understand the essentials of clinical trials as regards their design, statisticalanalysis, and reporting. This book is an admirable venture, in that it covers thiswhole field at a level of methodological detail that gives a good working knowledgeof the subject. At the same time, it avoids undue technicalities or jargon so that eventhose with little or no previous knowledge of statistics, study design, or reportingpractices will be able to follow all of the material presented.The book’s structure, with 38 chapters grouped into five broad sections, helps thereader to focus on one specific topic at a time, and should also make it a usefultext to accompany taught courses in clinical trials.The book represents a well-balanced account of clinical issues and statisticalmethods, which are clearly explained and illustrated with relevant examplesthroughout. The book also contains over 300 references, facilitating a morein-depth pursuit of each topic if desired. Overall, I think this book is an excellentcontribution, which I recommend as a rewarding read for anyone interested inclinical trials and their methods.Professor Stuart Pocock, PhDMedical Statistis UnitLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicineviii