What patient data should be collected in this randomized controlled trial in sepsis?

Excerpt

Prior to starting a study, senior investigators are often asked what kind of variables should be collected. Most will stress the simplicity of the question, grasp a pen and a piece of paper, and start to write a list so familiar that they know it by heart. But, research is somewhat subjective and, in addition to the fact that they may simply forget an item on their list, they may also overlook some element(s) they believe is (are) unimportant but which may be considered essential by others. Moreover, the collection of some data, perhaps not directly relevant to the intervention in question, may be useful for secondary analyses. Hence, this process needs to be more systematic. Having a standard reference list available as a model would also free up some of the senior researchers’ precious time! …