Pilot study
Short definition
A pilot study is a small-scale version of a larger study, carried out to test whether the planned procedures work in practice, not to show whether the intervention is effective.
In plain language
Before a clinical trial with hundreds of participants, researchers often run a pilot study with a few to check recruitment, acceptance of the intervention, questionnaires and logistics. Because it is small, its effectiveness results are unreliable and should not be read as proof. Many published studies on virtual reality in care homes or hospitals are pilot studies.