Cluster designs are used when an intervention is delivered at the group level or when individual randomization would risk contamination. They require special analytic methods that account for within-cluster correlation.
← Back to Glossary
Glossary Term
Cluster Randomized Trial
Study Design
Also known as: cluster RCT, group-randomized trial
A trial in which groups (clusters) such as clinics or communities are randomized to study arms rather than individual participants.
Need IRB review for your study?
Elemental IRB provides fast, transparent ethical oversight for commercial and academic research.