Acute Otitis Media — Efficacy of the EarPopper Device in Children With Recurrent Otitis Media
Citation(s)
Arick DS, Silman S Nonsurgical home treatment of middle ear effusion and associated hearing loss in children. Part I: clinical trial. Ear Nose Throat J. 2005 Sep;84(9):567-8, 570-4, 576 passim. Erratum in: Ear Nose Throat J. 2005 Oct;84(10):614.
Banigo A, Hunt A, Rourke T, Whiteside O, Aldren C Does the EarPopper(®) device improve hearing outcomes in children with persistent otitis media with effusion? A randomised single-blinded controlled trial. Clin Otolaryngol. 2016 Feb;41(1):59-65. doi: 10.1111/coa.12480.
Silman S, Arick DS, Emmer MB Nonsurgical home treatment of middle ear effusion and associated hearing loss in children. Part II: Validation study. Ear Nose Throat J. 2005 Oct;84(10):646, 648, 650 passim.
Efficacy of the EarPopper Device in Children With Recurrent Otitis Media: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
