Single-blind study
A single-blind study is a form of clinical trial. The participants are divided into two groups. One group receives the genuine preparation to be tested, while the other group is administered a placebo. The subjects are blinded, as they do not know which group they are assigned to.
In contrast to the double-blind study, in this form of implementation the physician knows the assignment of the individual participants to the respective group. To avoid falsifications of the findings, the evaluation should not be carried out by the physician conducting the study. It should be conducted by an independent analyst who is also “blinded”.
An advantage is that the treating physician can intervene quickly in the event of complications. Thus, no ethical difficulties are raised. However, care must be taken that the physician does not influence the treatment by psychological influences. This can be avoided if the doctor and patient do not know each other in advance or if the treatment consists only of the administration and control of the drugs and their intake.
