Creating experimental analogs with available clinical information: credible alternatives to "gold-standard" experiments?
Comparison of the implementation and findings of a "gold standard" evaluation of social work intervention and its experimental analog based on available clinical information illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of each. From a practice-research integration perspective, however, "clinical data-mining" may be a credible alternative to randomized controlled experiments.
Sainz
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A
Hunter College Graduate School of Social Work, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Epstein
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I
D003625:Data Collection; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007325:Institutional Practice; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D018579:Patient Selection; D011897:Random Allocation; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012948:Social Work Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric; D016896:Treatment Outcome