Mordijck E, Danckaerts M, Onghena P
Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2018;60(5):315-325.
An N-of-1 trial is a clinical trial studying the response of an individual to a particular intervention or different interventions in an objective, systematic way.
To evaluate both the applications and the methodology of N-of-1 trials in child and adolescent psychiatry.
A systematic review using PubMed and Embase assessing N-of-1 trials published during the period 1986 - July 2016 with the following key-word: 'N-of-1'.
20 articles were included. All articles used N-of-1 trials to evaluate the effect of stimulant medications in children and adolescents with ADHD. Most articles recommended the use of the N-of-1 methodology in clinical practice, despite the large variation in methodology and in outcome interpretation of N-of-1 trials. The 20 articles didn't meet the current quality standards for N-of-1 trials.
Despite the advantages of N-of-1 trials, the applications in child and adolescent psychiatry turn out to be rather limited and specific. N-of-1 trials have more to offer regarding both clinical practice and research in child and adolescent psychiatry. If the methodological recommendations are sufficiently met, N-of-1 trials could provide a useful and applicable tool for the child- and adolescent psychiatrist to offer individual patient care.
单病例试验是一种以客观、系统的方式研究个体对特定干预措施或不同干预措施反应的临床试验。
评估单病例试验在儿童和青少年精神病学中的应用及方法学。
利用PubMed和Embase进行系统综述，评估1986年至2016年7月期间发表的使用关键词“单病例试验”的单病例试验。
纳入20篇文章。所有文章均使用单病例试验来评估兴奋剂药物对患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的儿童和青少年的疗效。尽管单病例试验的方法学和结果解释存在很大差异，但大多数文章仍推荐在临床实践中使用单病例试验方法学。这20篇文章不符合当前单病例试验的质量标准。
尽管单病例试验有其优势，但在儿童和青少年精神病学中的应用相当有限且具有特殊性。单病例试验在儿童和青少年精神病学的临床实践和研究方面有更多可提供的内容。如果能充分满足方法学建议，单病例试验可为儿童和青少年精神科医生提供个体患者护理提供一个有用且适用的工具。
