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© 1992 Oxford University Press

research-article

Randomization by Group in Studying the Effect of Drug Information in Primary Care

VINOD DIWAN*, BO ERIKSSON{dagger}, GÖRAN STERKY* and GÖRAN TOMSON*

*Depanment of International Health Care Research (IHCAR) Karolinska Institutet, Box 60400, S-104 01 Stockholm, Sweden
{dagger}Nordic School of Public Health Gothenburg, Sweden

Diwan V K (Department of International Health Care Research [IHCAR] Karolinska Institutet, Box 60400, S-104 01, Stockholm, Sweden), Eriksson B, Sterky G and Tomson G. Randomization by group in studying the effect of drug information in primary care. International Journal of Epidemiology 1992; 21; 124–130.

Drug information is a technology which is rarely evaluated. Practical end ethical considerations limit the use of a classical experimental method (a randomized controlled trial) in studying the effect of drug information in primary care. An alternative approach, randomization by group, is preferable for several reasons: it avoids contamination of the control group; the effect of information can be evaluated in the natural working environment; and the impact of information is increased via diffusion.

This article describes the selection of a control group, the Hawthome effect arid ‘blindness’ in information ex periments. Sample size tables and power calculations are presented when randomization by group is used. The study power is influenced by the number of health centres and the variance between them. The number of doctors per health centre plays a less important role, and the number of patients is relatively unimportant.

There is also a need to use qualitative methods to prepare information and to understand factors influencing change of behaviour among prescribers.

Received 1 July 1991


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