Clinical Trials and Intervention Studies

Intervention studies are experimental studies that evaluate the effect of an intervention on humans. There are many different types of intervention, including medical, social, psychological, and so on. In all of these cases, interventions seek to improve the condition of the individual. In an epidemiological context, an intervention study is a specific type of a cohort study. When a medical intervention is involved, one speaks of a clinical trial. Clinical trials take a prominent place in clinical research, as they are pivotal for the registration of new medical treatments. We give a brief overview of the types of intervention studies, but special attention will be paid to clinical trials. Aspects of designing and analyzing an intervention study will be presented. Keywords: clinical trial; evidence-based medicine; intervention study