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    Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008 Dec;5(4):383-9. Epub 2007 Sep 13.

    Blinding techniques in randomized controlled trials of laser therapy: an overview and possible solution.

    Relf I, Chow R, Pirotta M.

    Source

    Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street Carlton 3053, Victoria, Australia. i.relf@unimelb.edu.au.

    Abstract

    Low-level laser therapy has evidence accumulating about its effectiveness in a variety of medical conditions. We reviewed 51 double blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of laser treatment. Analysis revealed 58% of trials showed benefit of laser over placebo. However, less than 5% of the trials had addressed beam disguise or allocation concealment in the laser machines used. Many of the trials used blinding methods that rely on staff cooperation and are therefore open to interference or bias. This indicates significant deficiencies in laser trial methodology. We report the development and preliminary testing of a novel laser machine that can blind both patient and operator to treatment allocation without staff participation. The new laser machine combines sealed preset and non-bypassable randomization codes, decoy lights and sound, and a conical perspex tip to overcome laser diode glow detection.

    PMID:
    18955233
    [PubMed]
    PMCID:
    PMC2586311
    Free PMC Article

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