Fundamentals of Clinical Trials

The randomized clinical trial has become a significant career focus for an eclectic group of professionals, which includes physicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, computer specialists, compliance experts, nurse coordinators, and others. A society for clinical trials has evolved, which now has about 1500 members and publishes a quarterly journal. Courses in clinical trials are widely available, and several books have appeared to summarize the considerable practical experience and burgeoning methodological literature. Friedman and his collaborators brought out one of the first of these in 1981, which they have now updated. It is a well-written little book, which can be read in a day or so but could equally well serve as the basis for a semester course. The basic concepts underlying clinical trials are easily grasped, so most of the subject matter is accessible to the statistically unsophisticated reader. The authors have organized the book around a series of "fundamental points," which