What does allocation concealment aim to achieve?

Allocation concealment is a critical aspect of the randomization process in clinical trials that aims to minimize bias. Specifically, it seeks to prevent the anticipation of group assignment by participants and researchers involved in the study. By concealing how participants are assigned to different intervention groups, allocation concealment helps ensure that the randomization process is truly random and prevents any potential manipulation or influence on the assignment process. This approach supports the integrity of the trial's outcomes and helps to ensure that the observed effects can be attributed to the intervention itself rather than to biases introduced by participants having foreknowledge of their assignments. Maintaining this degree of separation helps enhance the validity and reliability of the trial's findings, making it a cornerstone of robust evidence-informed practice.