Methods The TO-PARP trial has a multistage phase II design consisting of a non-randomised component with response as the primary endpoint followed by a randomised component with overall survival as the primary endpoint. Non-randomised component : This part of the trial design allows rapid progression to a randomised comparison if there is evidence of a high response rate (50% or more) in unsele...

Abstract Aim The Chief Medical Officer of England writes an annual social-norms-feedback letter to the highest antibiotic-prescribing GP practices. We investigated whether sending a practices whose prescribing was increasing would reduce prescribing. Subject and methods conducted two-armed randomised controlled trial amongst STAR-PU-adjusted in 20th–95th percentiles had increased by > 4% yea...

BACKGROUND There is limited evidence indicating that laypersons trained in first aid provide better help, but do not help more often than untrained laypersons. This study investigated the effect of conventional first aid training versus conventional training plus supplementary training aimed at decreasing barriers to helping. METHODS The authors conducted a randomised controlled trial. After ...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND A cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a national Kenyan mental health primary care training programme demonstrated a significant impact on the health, disability and quality of life of clients, despite a severe shortage of medicines in the clinics (Jenkins et al. Submitted 2012). As focus group methodology has been found to be a useful method of obtaining a det...

BACKGROUND Use of Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) for treatment of upper limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy has become routine clinical practice in many paediatric treatment centres worldwide. There is now high-level evidence that upper limb BoNT-A injection, in combination with occupational therapy, improves outcomes in children with cerebral palsy at both the body function/structure a...

Effects of intensive blood-pressure lowering and low-dose aspirin in patients with hypertension: principal results of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) randomised trial. HOT Study Group – L. Hansson and others Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33) – UK Prosp...

The proposed study is a randomised controlled trial that aims to investigate the effectiveness of a psychological intervention at reducing psychological distress, particularly depression and anxiety, in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and their family caregivers. 100 patients and their caregivers will be randomly assigned to a ‘self-regulation’ intervention or to a control condition (s...

BACKGROUND This trial aims to evaluate effective delivery and cost effectiveness of an innovative structured psycho-educational programme (CASCADE) for young people and their families living with diabetes. The increase in numbers of people being diagnosed with diabetes is posing a challenge for both the UK and the rest of the world. The peak age for diagnosis is between 10 and 14 years of age. ...

BACKGROUND There is strong evidence to support the effectiveness of Brief Intervention (BI) in reducing alcohol consumption in primary healthcare. METHODS AND DESIGN This study is a two-arm randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of BI delivered by community pharmacists in their pharmacies. Eligible and consenting participants (aged 18 years or older) will be randomised in ...