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description: A cluster randomization trail is one in which intact social units or clusters of individuals are randomized to different intervention groups. Trials randomizing clusters have become particularly widespread in the evaluation of non-therapeutic interventions including lifestyle modificationeducational programs and innovations in the provision of health care. The units of randomization in such studies are diverse ranging from relatively small clusters such as families or households to entire neighborhoods or communities but also encompassing workplaces hospital wards classroomsand medical practices. The increasing popularity of this design among health researchers over the past two decades has led to an extensive body of methodology on the subject. This book is the first to present a systematic and unified treatment of this topic; it contains distinctive chapters on thehistory of cluster randomized trials ethical issues meta-analysis and guidelines. Written by two of the leading authorities in the field this book is an essential reference text for investigators in the planning or analysis stages of a study. It is also highly suitable for use as a textbook in agraduate-level course in research methodology and is aimed at biostatisticians epidemiologists health service researchers and public health professionals.
language: English
title: Design and Analysis of Cluster Randomization Trials in Health Research
publisher: Hodder Education Publishers