Thommasen HV, Zhang W Impact of chronic disease on quality of life in the Bella Coola Valley. Rural Remote Health. 2006 Apr-Jun;6(2):528. Epub 2006 Jun 5.
Wee HL, Cheung YB, Li SC, Fong KY, Thumboo J The impact of diabetes mellitus and other chronic medical conditions on health-related Quality of Life: is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2005 Jan 12;3:2. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-3-2.
Xu BH, Yu RQ, Yu W, Xie B, Huang YX [Effects of early rehabilitation on activities of daily living and complications in acute stroke patients]. Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 2004 Feb;36(1):75-8. Chinese.
Young JA, Tolentino M Neuroplasticity and its applications for rehabilitation. Am J Ther. 2011 Jan;18(1):70-80. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0b013e3181e0f1a4.
THE EFFECT OF EXERCISES ON FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH A STROKE
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.
