Clinical trials receive a lot of media attention; we hear or read about them almost daily in reports heralding new and promising treatments or reports raising questions about the safety or efficacy of an established treatment. The randomized trial is the foundation of evidence-based medicine and the cornerstone for comparative effectiveness research.

This book is designed for budding students of clinical trials, novice researchers, and for the serious lay reader wanting to know more about the inner workings of trials, how they are reported, who and what gets studied, what to make of results, and how to shop for trials as a patient. Written with wit and charm, this guide will interest readers in way that formal, didactic texts cannot.