Open-label

A trial where both you and the researchers know exactly which treatment you're getting.

In an open-label trial, everyone knows which treatment you’re receiving — you, your doctors, and the study team. Nothing about your treatment is kept secret. This is the opposite of a blinded study, where that information is hidden on purpose to keep expectations from coloring the results.

Open-label is common when hiding the treatment wouldn’t be practical or would get in the way of your care. It can be paired with randomization, where a computer assigns which group you join, even though the choice is then out in the open. If you’d like to know whether a trial is open-label or uses blinding, just ask — the study team can explain how it works.