Trials
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effectiveness of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist program in reducing severe maternal, fetal, and newborn harm in Uttar Pradesh, India: study protocol for a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Effective, scalable strategies to improve maternal, fetal, and newborn health and reduce preventable morbidity and mortality are urgently needed in low- and middle-income countries. Building on the successes of previous checklist-based programs, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners led the development of the Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC), a 28-item list of evidence-based practices linked with improved maternal and newborn outcomes. Pilot-testing of the Checklist in Southern India demonstrated dramatic improvements in adherence by health workers to essential childbirth-related practices (EBPs). The BetterBirth Trial seeks to measure the effectiveness of SCC impact on EBPs, deaths, and complications at a larger scale. ⋯ If effective, the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist program could be a powerful health facility-strengthening intervention to improve quality of care and reduce preventable harm to women and newborns, with millions of potential beneficiaries.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The RAPID-CTCA trial (Rapid Assessment of Potential Ischaemic Heart Disease with CTCA) - a multicentre parallel-group randomised trial to compare early computerised tomography coronary angiography versus standard care in patients presenting with suspected or confirmed acute coronary syndrome: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Emergency department attendances with chest pain requiring assessment for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are a major global health issue. Standard assessment includes history, examination, electrocardiogram (ECG) and serial troponin testing. Computerised tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) enables additional anatomical assessment of patients for coronary artery disease (CAD) but has only been studied in very low-risk patients. This trial aims to investigate the effect of early CTCA upon interventions, event rates and health care costs in patients with suspected/confirmed ACS who are at intermediate risk. ⋯ The Rapid Assessment of Potential Ischaemic Heart Disease with CTCA (RAPID-CTCA) trial will recruit 2500 participants across about 35 hospital sites. It will be the first study to investigate the role of CTCA in the early assessment of patients with suspected or confirmed ACS who are at intermediate risk and including patients who have raised troponin measurements during initial assessment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The importance of albumin infusion rate for plasma volume expansion following major abdominal surgery - AIR: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Administration of fluids to restore normovolaemia is one of the most common therapeutic interventions performed peri-operatively and in the critically ill, but no study has evaluated the importance of infusion rate for the plasma volume-expanding effect of a resuscitation fluid. The present study is designed to test the hypothesis that a slow infusion of resuscitation fluid results in better plasma volume expansion than a rapid infusion. ⋯ The present study is the first clinical investigation of the importance of infusion rate for the plasma volume-expanding effect of a resuscitation fluid.
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The cluster randomised crossover (CRXO) design is gaining popularity in trial settings where individual randomisation or parallel group cluster randomisation is not feasible or practical. Our aim is to stimulate discussion on the content of a reporting guideline for CRXO trials and to assess the reporting quality of published CRXO trials. ⋯ There is a clear need to improve the quality of reporting in CRXO trials. Given the unique features of a CRXO trial, it is important to develop a CONSORT extension. Consensus amongst trialists on the content of such a guideline is essential.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Tonic and burst spinal cord stimulation waveforms for the treatment of chronic, intractable pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Burst stimulation is a novel form of neurostimulation for the treatment of chronic pain which has demonstrated promise in small uncontrolled studies, but has not yet gained approval for use in the U.S. We report the study methods for an ongoing multicenter, randomized, controlled, cross-over study designed to gain United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for burst stimulation. ⋯ This trial represents the largest controlled trial of burst stimulation to date, and is expected to yield important information regarding the safety and efficacy of burst stimulation.