title: The choice of a balanced allocation method for a clinical trial in otitis media with effusion.
abstract: We review the choice of treatment allocation procedures in a specific small clinical trial of the effect of tympanostomy tubes on language development in patients with otitis media with effusion. The options for balanced allocation available at the planning stage are discussed. A clearly favourable method could not be identified. A simulation study was performed, and its results demonstrated least imbalance with the variance method. In practice this method produced considerable imbalance on relevant prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Social Medicine, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Zielhuis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Straatman
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: van 't Hof-Grootenboer
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van Lier
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Rach
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van den Broek
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design