What is a double blind study?
A double blind study is a randomized clinical trial in which:
- You as the patient don’t know if you’re receiving the experimental treatment, a standard treatment or a placebo, and
- Your doctor doesn’t know.
Only those directing the study know the treatment that each participant receives.
Double blind studies prevent bias when doctors evaluate patients’ outcomes. This improves reliability of clinical trial results.
Should you have health complications during a trial, such as a possible drug reaction, your doctor can “unblind” you and find out which treatment you’re receiving. As a result, you could end up being removed from the study. But patients’ health and safety come first. Patients are closely monitored throughout clinical trials.
