ABSTRACT
Observational (or nonexperimental) clinical studies are field research methods that can provide reliable information on the effects of traditional antimalarial treatments on human beings at relatively low cost. In this chapter, two widely held views over clinical studies will be challenged: the hierarchy of clinical studies with randomised controlled trials (RCTs) being the gold standard, and the concept that clinical studies are to be conducted only after preclinical studies. We will thus show that:
1. An observational study can, under some circumstances, yield scientific results that are as reliable as those of RCTs, and sometime more so. In addition, some important data can only be obtained through observational studies.
