intent-to-treat
Also written as: ITT — intent-to-treat
An analysis method in psychiatric trials that includes all randomized participants in their originally assigned treatment groups, regardless of adherence or completion.
Full Definition
Intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis is a statistical approach in psychiatric research that analyzes all randomized participants according to their original treatment assignment, regardless of whether they completed the study, adhered to treatment, or crossed over to another treatment arm. This method preserves the randomization benefits and provides a pragmatic assessment of treatment effectiveness in real-world conditions, though it may dilute treatment effects compared to per-protocol analyses.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenate when used as an adjective; can be abbreviated as ITT after first use.
In Context
- "The primary efficacy analysis was conducted using the intent-to-treat population with last observation carried forward." — Statistical analysis plan
- "ITT analysis showed significant improvement in depression scores compared to placebo." — Results section