Background Randomised control clinical trials of acupuncture have been hampered by the challenges of assessing it as a complex intervention. Controlling for and separating placebo effects whilst identifying its efficacy as a treatment can be difficult [1]. The comparison of acupuncture to other complex interventions has been recommended to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture against other i...

INTRODUCTION Liver disease mortality and morbidity are rapidly rising and liver transplantation is limited by organ availability. Small scale human studies have shown that stem cell therapy is safe and feasible and has suggested clinical benefit. No published studies have yet examined the effect of stem cell therapy in a randomised controlled trial and evaluated the effect of repeated therapy. ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy ‘Kick-Smart’ martial arts programme using a randomised controlled-trial conducted in one Australian primary school. Kick-Smart involved children 9-11yrs (n= 46) into treatment or wait-list control conditions. consisted 2x60min curriculum sessions/week for 6-weeks during school hours. Positive feedback received from student...

The UK Department of Health’s aim is to involve community pharmacists in the delivery of alcohol brief intervention (BI). This possibility extends the settings in which BIs have been delivered and has attracted international attention. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of BI delivered by community pharmacists in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) in London. A two-arm ...

OBJECTIVES To conduct a pilot trial of a primary care Symptoms Clinic for patients with medically unexplained symptoms and evaluate recruitment and retention, and acceptability of the intervention and to estimate potential treatment effects for a full trial. TRIAL DESIGN Randomised parallel group pilot trial. SETTING Primary care in one locality. PARTICIPANTS Primary care database and pos...

BACKGROUND Common foot problems are independent risk factors for falls in older people. There is evidence that podiatry can prevent falls in community-dwelling populations. The feasibility of implementing a podiatry intervention and trial in the care home population is unknown. To inform a potential future definitive trial, we performed a pilot randomised controlled trial to assess: (i) the fea...

A randomised trial was initiated in Ireland in 1981 to determine if periconceptional supplementation with either folic acid alone or a multivitamin preparation alone could reduce the recurrence risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in women with a previously affected pregnancy from 5.0% to 1.0% or less. The trial was concluded before the initial target number of study subjects was reached and with...

BACKGROUND The use of lLaparoscopic liver resection in terms of time to functional recovery, length of hospital stay (LOS), long-term abdominal wall hernias, costs and quality of life (QOL) has never been studied in a randomised controlled trial. Therefore, this is the subject of the international multicentre randomised controlled ORANGE II trial. METHODS Patients eligible for left lateral se...

Background. Conductive Education for stroke survivors has shown promise but randomised evidence is unavailable. This study assessed the feasibility of a definitive randomised controlled trial to evaluate efficacy. Methods. Adult stroke survivors were recruited through local community notices. Those completing the baseline assessment were randomised using an online program and group allocation w...

BACKGROUND Music therapy may provide a means of improving mental health among people with schizophrenia, but its effects in acute psychoses have not been explored. AIMS To examine the feasibility of a randomised trial of music therapy for inpatients with schizophrenia, and explore its effects on mental health. METHOD Up to 12 weeks of individual music therapy plus standard care were compare...