a pharmaceutical company manufactures medicine to reduce pain caused by migraine headaches. the company is investigating whether a new medicine is more effective in reducing pain than the current medicine. a random sample of 500 participants who experience migraines was selected, and the participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups of equal size. the first group received the current medicine and the second group received the new medicine. when a participant experienced a migraine, he or she was instructed to take the medicine and, 15 minutes after taking the medicine, to rate the pain relief on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being no relief to 10 being complete relief. at the end of six months, the average pain relief for each participant was calculated. which of the following is the best description of the study?
What is the best description of the study?
Answer:
The study described is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted by a pharmaceutical company to compare the effectiveness of a new medicine for reducing pain caused by migraine headaches with the effectiveness of the current medicine. In this RCT, a random sample of 500 participants who experience migraines was selected and divided into two equal groups. One group received the current medicine, while the other group received the new medicine.
Participants were instructed to take the assigned medicine when experiencing a migraine episode and rate the pain relief they experienced on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating no relief and 10 indicating complete relief, 15 minutes after taking the medicine. After six months, the average pain relief for each participant was calculated for both groups.
This study design allows for a direct comparison between the two medicines by ensuring that the participants are randomly assigned to groups, which helps in controlling for potential confounding variables. The use of a control group receiving the current medicine provides a baseline for comparison, making the results of the study more reliable and allowing for conclusions on the effectiveness of the new medicine in reducing migraine pain.