Evidence-appraisal glossary
Data safety monitoring board
A data safety monitoring board (DSMB) is an independent group of experts that reviews accumulating trial data during a study to protect participants and judge whether it should continue, change, or stop.
Also called: DSMB, data monitoring committee, DMC, independent data monitoring committee.
The DSMB is one of the few parties allowed to see unblinded interim results, which lets it watch for unexpected harm or overwhelming benefit without unblinding the investigators who run the trial. It applies the pre-specified stopping rules and can recommend early termination. Its independence from the sponsor is what makes its judgments credible, so its absence in a high-stakes trial is worth noticing.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.