Multicenter research trials

Definition

The modified definition of multicenter research trials includes clinical trials conducted at more than one medical center, clinic or medical practice. The benefits of multicenter trials include a larger and therefore more representative number of participants, different geographic locations, the possibility to include a wider range of population groups, and the ability to compare results among centers. All these points increase the generalizability of the study. In many cases, efficacy will vary significantly between population groups with different genetic, environmental, and ethnic or cultural backgrounds ("demographic" factors); normally only geographically dispersed trials can properly evaluate this [modified to Wikipedia 2008].