Patient preference randomised controlled trials in mental health research

Abstract

The relationship between psychiatric patients' preferences for different treatments and the outcome of interventions is unclear, as the few relevant trials have tended to be underpowered. Strong patient preferences result in patients refusing to enter a trial. This leads to bias and limits generalisability, and the patient preference randomised controlled trial (RCT) design has been proposed as an alternative. Limitations and advantages of patient preference RCTs are discussed.