The Challenges of Designing and Implementing a Pilot Study of Ovarium Compositum in Infertile Women

Abstract

This thesis reports a research project with a mixed methods research design and a pragmatist worldview. It documents, analyses and reflects upon the evolution of a project, that over nine years, examined the challenges of designing and implementing a clinical trial design that could capture the effect of using Ovarium compositum to support the outcomes of women undergoing infertility treatment at Jersey General Hospital. Aims The initial aim of the research project was to design and conduct a randomised clinical trial of a homeopathic product, Ovarium compositum, as an additional treatment for women undergoing infertility treatment at Jersey General Hospital. When the trial did not meet it’s recruitment target the focus of the project switched to an investigation of the reasons for trial failure. The need for a pragmatist philosophical worldview to bring structure and understanding to the process of writing and rewriting the thesis became increasingly clear as the project evolved. The aims are divided into two categories, methodological and outcomes. Methodological aims include: • To explore the appropriate methodology for designing a clinical trial of a homeopathic product. • To understand the role of a pragmatist worldview in clinical trial design and in rewriting a thesis. • To understand the use of Mixed Methods Research in healthcare research. Outcome aims include: To understand the conceptualisation of infertility and its treatment by homotoxicologists in the UK