One hundred psychiatric patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received a new drug in pill form. The other group was given identical-looking placebo pills. A panel of psychiatrists, who did not know which pill each participant received, evaluated all participants for level of agitation. What could be a potential confound in this study?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The potential confound in this study is the difference in the type of participants in the two groups. The drug group consisted of inpatients, which have a different level of surveillance than outpatients, who were in the placebo group. This difference could impact the level of agitation observed, making it difficult to determine if the drug or the inpatient status affected the outcome.

One Hundred Psychiatric Patients Were Randomly Assigned to One of Two