Problem
4.1
100
patients with pain following hip replacement were randomized
to receive a 24-hour infusion of either Drug K, a new compound
that relieves pain in rats, or placebo. Patients in both treatment
groups were allowed to self-administer intravenous morphine
by a patient-controlled analgesic device. The figure shows average
pain intensity and hourly morphine intake for the two groups:
average pain intensity was similar, but patients receiving Drug
K took significantly less PCA morphine than the placebo group.
Question
4.1.1
Does
this result demonstrate that Drug K is an effective analgesic?
Question
4.1.2
Does
this result demonstrate that measurement of morphine intake
but not pain provided adequate "assay sensitivity"
for the evaluation of Drug K as an analgesic?