Page 41 - Terminology-Clinical-Research

drug B. One type of Intervention model (design). Partner (auxiliary): Organizations that have a financial
relationship with a CIHR competition Partner. The CIHR
Parallel group: See Parallel design. partner is dependent on that relationship in order to meet

its financial commitments to a CIHR funding opportunity.
Parameter: A variable in a model, or a variable that There is no formal relationship between CIHR and
wholly or partially characterizes a probability distribution auxiliary partners. For reporting and management purposes,
(mathematics and statistics). Note: In clinical trials the term CIHR does not consider its relationship with auxiliary
is often used synonymously with “variable” for factual partners to be a partnership.
information (age, date of recovery), measurements, and
clinical assessments. It is most appropriately linked to Partner: Any organization with which CIHR has a
statistical conventions and as a numeric characteristic of a relationship that is characterized by mutual cooperation,
population. Parameters are rarely known and are usually collaboration and a shared responsibility to achieve a
estimated by statistical computation from samples. Thus the specific health research goal. In this relationship, each
term is narrower than variable. organization has a separate identity and independent
accountabilities, and all parties share a clear understanding
Parenteral administration: Any administration that is or agreement of the goal, objectives, and terms of the
not through the gastrointestinal system, meaning oral and arrangement. The formality of these relationships may vary,
rectal. For example, intra-venous, intra-muscular, sub- but they all must be grounded in trust, mutual respect, and
cutaneous administrations are parenteral administrations.
effective communication. CIHR’s inclusive approach to
Participant flow: A summary of the progress of the term “Partner” welcomes other organizations that share
participants through each stage of a clinical study, by study CIHR’s commitment to the creation of new knowledge and
arm. This includes the number of participants who started, its translation into improved health for Canadians and the
completed, and dropped out of the study. global community. These collaborations may range from
open, working relationships through committee work or
Participant: A person or entity with a role in healthcare meetings (for example, with the Health Charities Coalition
or a clinical study. Note: Participants in a clinical trial may of Canada), to the more formal, documented collaborations
include subjects and study personnel. A subject participates for funding opportunities (i.e., congruent partners &
as part of the group of people who are administered the competition partners).
therapeutic intervention or control.
Partner (competition): Competition partners collaborate
Participant-level data or micro-level data: Include data with CIHR on specific health research funding
on each individual studied, with quantitative or qualitative opportunities, contributing financially or in-kind to
results representing the observations on each individual. the cause. While the principles of trust, respect, and
The set of all observations for an individual is called a communication also apply to this category of Partner, the
record. Each of these records has an identifier that allows a relationship goes a formal step further by documenting
researcher to retrieve a particular record or set of records. roles, responsibilities, contributions, and competition dates
Micro-level data sets may contain tens of thousands of in signed agreements. All Partners in a funding initiative
records. Users familiar with statistical software such as share the benefits, outcomes, and risks associated with the
SPSS, Stata, or SAS can conduct a variety of statistical initiative; all those engaged in the partnership also provide
analyses on specified variables for all records or a subset of and gain additional value from the relationship that might
records in the data set. The advantage of using micro-level not have been achieved separately. It is hoped that, after the
data is that users can develop customized analyses using conclusion of the funding initiative, a competition partner
specified variables of interest. will become a congruent partner.

Partner (applicant): Organizations identified by the Partner (congruent): Organizations that work closely
applicants themselves that contribute cash and/or in-kind with CIHR on projects that involve sharing best practices
resources to specific projects of research, according to and lessons learned. These partnerships do not necessarily
terms negotiated by the applicants. There is no formal involve funding programs. They include initiatives such as
relationship between CIHR and Applicant Partners. For CIHR’s work with the provincial funding agencies to obtain
reporting and management purposes, CIHR does not bibliometric data, or the collaboration between CIHR, the
consider its relationship with applicant partners to be a Health Charities Coalition of Canada and others to share
partnership. best practices for communicating the impact of health
research. It should be noted that this knowledge exchange

TERMINOLOGY CLINICAL RESEARCH 41