Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Psychomotor agitation and aggressiveness in the context of mental illnessare medical emergencies. In a survey of six German psychiatric hospitals, 1.7 to 5 aggressive attacks per patient-year were reported. If talking to the patient has no calming effect, intervention with drugs is required. In this article, we review the evidence on tranquilizing drugs and discuss clinically relevant ethical and practical questions, e.g., with respect to involuntary medication. ⋯ All of these drugs, if accepted by the patient, can also have an additional, beneficial placebo effect, with the patient calming down more rapidly than could be explained on pharmacological grounds alone. It is, therefore, important in emergencies (as at other times) for the patient to be involved in treatment decisions to the greatest possible extent.
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The stepped-wedge design (SWD) of clinical trials has become very popular in recent years, particularly in health services research. Typically, study participants are randomly allotted in clusters to the different treatment options. ⋯ The necessary statistical tools for the planning and evaluation of SWD trials now stand at our disposal. Such trials nevertheless are subject to major risks, as valid results can be obtained only if the far-reaching assumptions of the model are, in fact, justified.