Abstract
One cannot address the question of when to stop a trial without first having dealt with the more basic design questions such as those involved in sample size calculations. But such considerations represent only one aspect of the question. One must also consider the process that must be established in the trial to provide a mechanism that permits one to decide when to stop.... The idea that stopping rules can be devised that can be used in deciding when to stop is appealing but it rarely works in practice. Most trials involve observations for various events. It is virtually impossible to prespecify the constellation of data that would be required to terminate the trial.
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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Ruse, M. (1988). At What Level of Statistical Certainty Ought a Random Clinical Trial to Be Interrupted?1 . In: Spicker, S.F., Alon, I., de Vries, A., Engelhardt, H.T. (eds) The Use of Human Beings in Research. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2705-6_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2705-6_10
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