N of 1 trial
Encyclopedia
An N of 1 trial is a clinical trial
in which a single patient is the entire trial, a single case study. A trial in which random allocation can be used to determine the order in which an experimental and a control intervention are given to a patient is an N of 1 randomized controlled trial
. The order of experimental and control interventions can also be fixed by the researcher
.
This type of study has enabled practitioners to achieve experimental progress without the overwhelming work of designing a group comparison study. It can be very effective in confirming causality
. This can be achieved in many ways. One of the most common procedures is the ABA withdrawal experimental design, where the patient problem is measured before a treatment is introduced (baseline) and then measured again during the treatment and finally when the treatment has terminated. If the problem vanished during the treatment it can be established that the treatment was effective. A variation of experimental design in single case studies is great. But the N=1 study can also be executed in a AB quasi experimental way; this means that causality cannot be definitively demonstrated. Another variation is non-concurrent experimental design where different points in time are compared with one another. This experimental design also has a problem with causality. But the replication of studies has a great value and can be as effective as a group study. The single case experimental design has been very effective in psychology and other field of behavior science.
Quasi experiment means that causality cannot be definitively demonstrated.
Experiment means that it can be demonstrated.
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
in which a single patient is the entire trial, a single case study. A trial in which random allocation can be used to determine the order in which an experimental and a control intervention are given to a patient is an N of 1 randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trial
A randomized controlled trial is a type of scientific experiment - a form of clinical trial - most commonly used in testing the safety and efficacy or effectiveness of healthcare services or health technologies A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a type of scientific experiment - a form of...
. The order of experimental and control interventions can also be fixed by the researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
.
This type of study has enabled practitioners to achieve experimental progress without the overwhelming work of designing a group comparison study. It can be very effective in confirming causality
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
. This can be achieved in many ways. One of the most common procedures is the ABA withdrawal experimental design, where the patient problem is measured before a treatment is introduced (baseline) and then measured again during the treatment and finally when the treatment has terminated. If the problem vanished during the treatment it can be established that the treatment was effective. A variation of experimental design in single case studies is great. But the N=1 study can also be executed in a AB quasi experimental way; this means that causality cannot be definitively demonstrated. Another variation is non-concurrent experimental design where different points in time are compared with one another. This experimental design also has a problem with causality. But the replication of studies has a great value and can be as effective as a group study. The single case experimental design has been very effective in psychology and other field of behavior science.
List of variation in N of 1 trial
| Design | Causality | Use |
|---|---|---|
| A-B | Quasi experiment | Often the only possible method |
| A-A1-A | Experiment | Placebo design where A is no drug and A1 is a placebo |
| A-B-A | Experiment | Withdrawal design where effects of B face can be established |
| A-B-A-B | Experiment | Withdrawal design where effects of B face can be established |
| A-B-A-B-A-B | Experiment | Withdrawal design where effects of B face can be established |
| A-B1-B2-B3-Bn-A | Experiment | Establishing the effect of different versions of B face |
Quasi experiment means that causality cannot be definitively demonstrated.
Experiment means that it can be demonstrated.