Evaluation Phase

In the evaluation phase, the efficacy/effectiveness of the optimized intervention identified in the optimization phase is compared to a suitable comparator.

Commonly, the evaluation phase consists of a standard RCT comparing the optimized intervention to a suitable control or comparison condition. However, there is no requirement to use a two-arm RCT in this phase – the choice of experimental design should be informed by the research question.

As Figure 1 shows, there is another decision point immediately after the evaluation phase. If the RCT indicates that the optimized intervention is not effective, then it is necessary to return to the preparation phase and reconsider the conceptual model or the approach to intervention. If the RCT indicates that the optimized intervention is effective, implementation can begin.

Further Learning

Whether you are looking for additional support as you prepare a grant proposal involving MOST or practical information helpful in managing your optimization trial, this section provides resources for a deeper dive into intervention optimization.

REDCap with Most

The goal of this manual is to show how one might setup a REDCap project to support a research study with multiple conditions, such as factorial experiments common in the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework.

Informal introduction to factorial experimental designs

The purpose of this page is to clarify some concepts, notation, and terminology related to factorial experimental designs, and to compare and contrast factorial experiments to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A more in-depth introduction can...

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