Question

(03.02, 03.04 HC) A preliminary study conducted at a medical center in Houston has shown that treatment with chamomile oil reduces the self-reported level of pain in patients with Lyme disease. During each session, a patient rested on an examining table in the doctor's office while the oil was inserted in the body at the site of pain. Sessions continued for several weeks, after which pain reduction was measured. A new study is being designed to investigate whether chamomile oil also reduces pain in patients suffering from pinched nerves in the cervical region of the spine. Four hundred female patients are available for the new study. Part A: Describe an appropriate design for the new study. Your discussion should address briefly the treatments used, methods of treatment assignment, and the variables to be measured. Do not describe how the data are analyzed. (4 points) Part B: Would you modify the study design if, instead of 400 female patients, there were 200 male and 200 female patients available for the study? If so, how would you modify your design? If not, why not? (4 points) Part C: Could your design be double-blind? Explain. (2 points) (10 points)

Answer 1