Clinical trial experience by simulation: a workshop report.

A new computer program for experimental design simulation was used in a three-day postgraduate workshop on clinical trials. Participants were given information on a fictitious new drug and asked to design a trial to evaluate it. On the first day they reviewed the data and designed a protocol, and results for these specifications were generated on the computer. The second day was spent analysing results, and on the last day the findings of the different studies were presented at a symposium. Flexibility of the program ensured a high degree of realism in all trials and emphasised the influence of design on results and conclusions.