Palliative care program effectiveness research: developing rigor in sampling design, conduct, and reporting.

摘要: Research on palliative care presents some unique sampling challenges. The purpose of this paper is to articulate the challenges that researchers face during phases study design, conduct, and reporting results. Challenges include identifying a target population, avoiding selection bias in clinician patient denial serious illness, developing eligibility criteria for seriously ill minimizing high refusals due accurate all screened eligible participants. These are explored within context randomized clinical trial testing intervention. Suggestions improving scientific rigor design 1) defining population consistent with research goals; 2) objective understandable clinicians yield desired sample; 3) results about sample eligibility/exclusions, participation using standardized criteria.