blinding blinding
A way to keep participants, and often study staff, from knowing which study treatment a participant is assigned.
Example of blinding in a sentence
Blinding is one way to reduce bias in a research study.
More Info
Blinding keeps participants and/or the study team from knowing which study arm a participant is randomized to.
Blinding is done for scientific reasons. It reduces the possible effect of participant and study team hopes and expectations on the results.
Some studies may be single-blinded (that is, the participant does not know what study treatment they are getting) or double-blinded (that is, neither the participant nor study staff know exactly which study treatment each participant is getting).
In the case of an emergency, however, the study team can follow a process to find out. This is called “unblinding.”
Other info to think about when joining a study
If a study involves blinding, this will be described in the consent form that you will review and sign. You should feel free to ask any questions about the blinding so that you feel comfortable with not knowing exactly which study treatment you will get.
You can also ask why the research study uses blinding if you are unsure of the purpose.
If you are in a research study that involves blinding, you can ask if you will be able to find out what study treatment you received after your time in the study ends.
