CLINICAL TRIALS A clinical trial is an experiment involving a test of the effectiveness of a clinical treatment (such as a drug or other intervention). These studies generally involve a large number of people who are chosen according to characteristics relevant to the topic under study. For example, a study involving the effectiveness of a drug for a heart condition might include only those people who are at risk for this condition. There are various types of clinical trials. Two of the most commonly cited are:
CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALWhen a clinical trial involves a comparison between a control group (people who do not undergo the treatment being studied) and an experimental group (people who do undergo the treatment), it is a controlled trial.
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL When the allocation of subjects in a controlled clinical trial to the control and experimental groups is random, it is a randomized controlled trial. This type of study is often considered the "gold standard" for clinical experiments that evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments.
DOULAS Doulas are professionals who provide physical, emotional and psychological support to birthing women during labor and the postpartum period. Doulas do not perform clinical tasks.
MIDWIVES MODEL OF CARE "The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. The Model includes:
META-ANALYSIS Meta-analysis is a statistical method for combining data from multiple independent studies on a given topic and synthesizing those results into summaries and conclusions, which may be used to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness, plan new studies, etc. Meta-analyses are used chiefly in the areas of research and medicine.
MIDWIVES/MIDWIFERY Midwives provide primary care during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period for women and newborns. There are several types of midwives. Four types that are commonly referred to:
DIRECT-ENTRY MIDWIVES Direct-entry midwives begin their education in midwifery directly rather than after completing a nursing program.
LICENSED MIDWIVES Licensed midwives are direct-entry midwives who obtain state or provincial licensure. Many states, such as Washington, New Hampshire and California license direct-entry midwives. In the United States, licensed midwives generally attend births at home and in free-standing birth centers. Several Canadian provinces, such as British Columbia, also regulate midwives, including direct-entry midwives, who attend births at home and in hospitals.
CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIVES Certified nurse-midwives are nurses who have additional training in midwifery are who are certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives. Most nurse-midwives attend births in a hospital setting.
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL MIDWIVES Certified Professional Midwives are midwives who are certified by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). Educational preparation and routes of entry vary but all must meet the minimum standards set by NARM.
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