Backman C L, Harris S R, Chisholm J A, Monette A D
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1997 Oct;78(10):1145-53. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9993(97)90142-8.
To review the "methodologic rules" for using single-subject research designs (SSRDs) and to review the use of SSRDs in rehabilitation research of the past decade.
CINAHL and MEDLINE searches using "single subject" and "single system" as key words for the period 1985-1995 yielded 61 articles related to rehabilitation.
Studies were selected for review if they described one of four commonly used SSRDs, specifically AB, withdrawal, multiple baseline, or alternating treatments.
Studies cited were identified by consensus and either exemplify adherence to the experimental rules of SSRDs or illustrate errors that result in threats to the validity of stated findings.
All four types of SSRDs have been reported in rehabilitation studies, sometimes incorrectly.
SSRDs, with their client-centered focus, are ideally suited for researching human behavior in the rehabilitation practice environment. Although numerous sources clearly identify the methodologic requirements for single-subject experiments, several studies violate the basic rules, threatening the validity of the results of these studies. Other properly applied SSRDs illustrate the strengths of this approach, which can produce empirical support for rehabilitation interventions.
回顾使用单被试研究设计（SSRDs）的“方法学规则”，并回顾过去十年中SSRDs在康复研究中的应用。
1985 - 1995年期间，使用“单被试”和“单系统”作为关键词在CINAHL和MEDLINE数据库中检索，得到61篇与康复相关的文章。
如果研究描述了四种常用的SSRDs之一，即AB、撤药、多基线或交替治疗，则选择这些研究进行综述。
通过共识确定所引用的研究，这些研究要么体现了对SSRDs实验规则的遵守，要么说明了导致对所述研究结果有效性产生威胁的错误。
所有四种类型的SSRDs都已在康复研究中有所报道，有时存在错误。
SSRDs以服务对象为中心，非常适合在康复实践环境中研究人类行为。尽管有许多资料明确指出了单被试实验的方法学要求，但仍有一些研究违反了基本规则，威胁到这些研究结果的有效性。其他正确应用的SSRDs则展示了这种方法的优势，可为康复干预提供实证支持。
