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Randomised Controlled Trials and Pharmacy Practice Research

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Pharmacy Practice Research Methods

Abstract

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are regarded as the gold standard method for evaluating an intervention and its outcome and have the ability to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an intervention. This form of research is known to be the most rigorous study design in order to determine a cause-effect relationship. This chapter summarises the randomised controlled trial design methodology, what key features should be present and its advantages and limitations. The place of cluster randomised controlled trials within health services research and in particular pharmacy practice research (PPR) will also be discussed.

PPR has been described extensively in the literature and within other chapters within this book. PPR has evolved through the years, and the number of RCTs within PPR has increased significantly since 2000. This chapter also details examples of recent RCTs within PPR and makes recommendations for future research within this field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Louise E. Curley & Joanne C. Lin

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  1. Louise E. Curley
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Correspondence to Louise E. Curley .

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  1. Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

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Curley, L.E., Lin, J.C. (2020). Randomised Controlled Trials and Pharmacy Practice Research. In: Babar, ZUD. (eds) Pharmacy Practice Research Methods. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2993-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2993-1_10

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