Question

Researchers conduct a study to determine if the use of chlorhexidine mouthwash is more effective than the use of normal saline for

oral care to reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Which action by the researchers makes the study a
randomized controlled trial?
a. The researchers do not know which patients will be treated with saline and which patients will be treated with chlorhexidine.
b. The researchers do not know which treatment will be more effective before the interventions are tested.
c. The researchers randomly select nurses at several local health care facilities to implement the mouth-care protocols.
d. The researchers do not know which statistical tests will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the oral care protocols.

Answer 1

The action taken by the researchers that makes the study a randomized controlled trial is that they do not know which patients will be treated with saline and which patients will be treated with chlorhexidine.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this study, the action taken by the researchers that makes it a randomized controlled trial is option a. The researchers do not know which patients will be treated with saline and which patients will be treated with chlorhexidine. In a randomized controlled trial, the treatment assignment is random and not based on any previous knowledge or bias.