At 20:23 21/03/01 -0000, you wrote:
>> patients in the groups using over-the-counter arch supports and tension
>> night splints had the poorest compliance rates and had the highest
>> proportion of patients withdrawn, with 21% and 26%, respectively." The
>> patients who received custom-made orthoses "had relatively few who
>withdrew
>> from the study (7%)."
I do not have paper in front of me - but were those patients that pulled
out of the study included when the authors analysed the outcomes.
It is standard practice in drug RCT's to include them - its the so-called
'intention-to-treat' anaylsis - all advice is to include these people. If
these people were not included in the analysis, a very different result
could have been obtained. - also, like Simon commented, a power analysis
would have been helpful.
Kind Regards
CP
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Craig Payne email: [log in to unmask]
Department of Podiatry phone: (+61)(3) 9479 5820
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LaTrobe University
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