Is there a right control condition in mHealth trials? A critical view on pain medicine.
editorial · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31701021.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-019-0184-z and PMC identifier 6831563.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
When mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) are investigated, the question of the proper control condition arises. Normally, the randomized controlled trial (RCT) is seen as the gold standard when testing efficacy of clinical interventions. Yet, mHealth apps rarely comprise innovative treatments but rather provide established treatments digitally. The classical RCT utilizing a placebo or waiting group condition may not always be the suitable methodology, since non-treatment is not appropriate if a disease urges treatment and the development of chronic disease needs to be prevented. The present commentary discusses conceivable control conditions in mHealth trials and illustrates their limitations.