Clinical trials - interventional studies

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It is considered that the first properly controlled trial in history was performed by James Lind. This Scottish surgeon and ship’s doctor was the first who conducted a trial with an appropriately controlled design from a modern point of view. In 1747 when scurvy was a common disease among sailors James Lind administered different acidic substances to 12 sailors affected with scurvy to test who benefits most. Five pairs of the seamen were given vinegar, mustard and garlic purges, and elixir of vitriol. The sixth pair was given two oranges and one lemon per day and recovered within 6 days. Objective and reliable evaluation of appropriate treatments against diseases has become a great need in medical research especially in the last century. Today healthcare professionals are required to base their decisions on the highest level of evidence. Evidence based medicine aims to rationalize this decision process in medical treatment and legitimates a certain treatment - or rejects it. In the process of finding the best treatment available it became obvious that different kinds of clinical trials might not provide the same level of evidence and differences between study designs are more than trivial. Today clinical trials are currently seen to have the highest level of evidence and to be the “Gold Standard” in clinical research.