The three-report review was aimed at describing the historical development of clinical trials, controlled trials (CT) and randomized controlled trials (RCT), and the inclusion of these experimental approaches in disciplines related to both the health of individuals and populations (medicine and epidemiology). In Report 1, the authors consider the terminology issues applied to CT and RCT, the sources of the involved concepts, and relevant disciplines. It was shown that the terms ‘control’ and ‘trial’ appeared in experimental literature only at the end of the 19th century, ‘CT’ appeared in the first third or quarter of the 20th century, and the term ‘RCT’ appeared only in 2000s. It was found that approaches with CT and RCT were often included even in classical epidemiology, and this fact eliminates the specificity of differences between observational and experimental disciplines and blurred the difference between inductive and deductive methodologies. Scientific, philosophical, conceptual, and historical aspects were also considered for three areas that included CT and RCT: epidemiology, clinical epidemiology and evidence-based medicine (EBM). It was concluded that classical epidemiology, using predominantly inductive approaches, was not the scope of real medical experiments, in the first place, and, secondly, its prognosis was not aimed at the individual. At the same time, both clinical epidemiology and EBM, which mainly use deductive approaches, involve experiments, making it possible to make prognosis for a particular patient. The proposed summarizing scheme of the historical origins and philosophical foundations of disciplines aimed at finding and proving health effects using observational and experimental approaches reflects the problems considered and covers individual time milestones, which, as a rule, are not named in modern epidemiology textbooks and textbooks of other disciplines.
In the current conditions of the demographic crisis, against the background of the migration of skilled personnel abroad and the high influx of low-skilled migrants, it is important to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities to increase the total income of the country. Rehabilitation medicine plays an integral role in achieving optimal functioning of patients after injuries or illnesses. One of the main areas of rehabilitation and habitation of people with disabilities is vocational rehabilitation (VR). Vocational rehabilitation is aimed at restoring the competitiveness of persons with disabilities in the labour market. The possibility of improvement in the level and quality of human capital for people with disabilities largely depends on the effectiveness of rehabilitation activities. In this regard, it is important to study the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures for individuals recognized as disabled due to occupational disease or an industrial accident, former employees of industries with particularly dangerous working conditions aged 18 years and older, as well as residents of certain territories (CATF). The article addresses the issues of preserving the working capacity of people with high qualifications who suffered from harmful production factors while working in high-tech industries. The authors demonstrate that a comprehensive analysis of the existing problem from the standpoint of rehabilitation medicine, economics, sociology and a number of other scientific disciplines makes it possible to talk about significant opportunities in improving the situation of this category of workers and the existing positive developments in this direction.
The aim of the three-report review is the historical development of clinical trials, controlled trials (CT) and randomized controlled trials (RCT), and the inclusion of these approaches in health-related disciplines (Medicine and Epidemiology). Report 2 provides a description of the wellknown James Lind Library (JLL), as well as a formed database of sources on the theme. JLL was internationalized, although most of the papers belong to authors from the UK. Many studies on the history of CT and RCT are reflected in JLL publications, but remain unclaimed without changing on common milestones and priorities. Besides, the formed base of sources included 9 studies not reflected in the JLL, of which three are principled. Six of them are given in Report 2.Half of historical milestones on the theme (168 in total) belong to the United Kingdom, 23% to the United States, and 4% to the Italy. The remaining 19 countries, ancient, medieval and modern, contribute 0.6–4% (Russia – 1.2% by the 20th century). The earliest source on the history of CT is J.P. Bull’s dissertation (1951). The formed database as of July 2020 contained more than 260 publications, and only 9 of them were Russian (2005–2018). The base includes 7 western dissertations on the history of CT.The object of the Report 2 study was CT as such, without any attempts at randomization or even quasi-randomization by alternate allocation. The most comprehensive thematic table on non-randomized CTs has been compiled, including studies from the Chinese emperor Shen Nung (2373 BC) and the prophet Daniel (6th century BC), to BCG vaccination for children of Canadian Indians (1941–1949). PubMed search on ‘non-randomized controlled trial’ was made. For the period of 1990–2020 years, 303 publications were found (up to 32 papers in 2020). Compared to RCT, the number of such studies is small (estimated at 0.08%), but it is important to have an appropriate conjuncture in the modern period. Along with the fact that most of the drugs and therapies currently in use are developed without RCT, the revealed ‘immortality’ of CT, even without quasi-randomization, can have social significance, removing complexes and embarrassment in cases where neither RCT nor even quasi-RCT is possible, but social and public needs require the immediate receipt of at least an approximate answer to hot questions of public health (for example, in 2020).
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