In June 2008, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reported on the use of an intermittent therapy for flare prevention and long-term disease control of eczema (red, inflamed, itchy skin). Eczema is a chronic skin disease that affects about 10% to 20% of infants and about 3% of adults and children in the United States. Researchers wanted to determine whether intermittent dosing with a specific topical inhibitor is effective in preventing eczema flare-ups in patients with stabilized eczema. Initially, 383 adults and children with moderate to severe eczema were treated with daily doses of the topical inhibitor. After 16 weeks, 197 were disease free and admitted into the maintenance phase of the study. These patients were randomized to a 3-times-weekly treatment with either the topical inhibitor or a placebo for 40 weeks. All tubes of ointments (topical inhibitor and placebo) were packaged in identical boxes and labeled “for investigational use only.” Then the packages were sealed with tamper-proof seals and shipped. Neither the researchers not the patients knew who received the topical inhibitor or who received the placebo. During the maintenance phase researchers tracked the number of flare-free days for each patient.

What is the purpose of double-blinding in this study?

Group of answer choices

To control the patient's expectations from affecting the outcomes

To control the researchers’ expectations from causing them to unconsciously influence the patient

To control both unintentional research bias and patients’ expectations

Double-blinding is a type of study in which the individuals who are part of the experimental group, and those who are part of the control group are unknown by both the researchers and the participants.

Why is double-blinding used?

Double-blinding is used because if the researchers or participants know who belongs to the experimental and control group results can be negatively affected.

For example, researchers and participants might believe the treatment has a higher positive effect than it has because they obtain benefits from these results.

Based on this, double-blinding in this study is used to prevent bias from the researchers and the parents of the participants.

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