Blinded outcome assessment gets you partly there, but lack of blinding to the treatment arm can definitely affect the manner in which patients are managed acutely.
For example, particularly in less-specialized hospitals, patients receiving thrombolysis go to ICU, whereas medically-managed will go to the general ward or stroke ward. Differences in acute nursing support and adherence to other quality measures can have big impacts on downstream outcomes.
"Stroke Industrial Complex". Like it. Good name for what I was trying to describe in my reply to your "TNK for CRAO" post.
it's open label, I reject it.
Blinded outcome assessment gets you partly there, but lack of blinding to the treatment arm can definitely affect the manner in which patients are managed acutely.
For example, particularly in less-specialized hospitals, patients receiving thrombolysis go to ICU, whereas medically-managed will go to the general ward or stroke ward. Differences in acute nursing support and adherence to other quality measures can have big impacts on downstream outcomes.