Reply to Berger's 'Letter to the Editor 'Comment on Proschan et al. (2011), Out of the Frying Pan and in to the Fire?''

摘要

I read with great interest the recent paper by Proschan, Brittain, and Kammerman (2011) that argues, correctly and articulately, that in the cases considered true or standard randomization is preferable to minimization. But if wearing a seat belt is a good idea when driving in inclement weather, then is it not also a good idea when driving in any type of weather? Though this point did not seem to be made explicitly, the arguments presented in favor of true randomization in the cases considered extend also to other cases, and for brevity, these arguments will not be repeated here. There is, however, an additional argument that favors true randomization, and that is that minimization, by its very nature, precludes the possibility of allocation concealment and almost ensures selection bias (Berger, 2005, 2010).