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We discussed in an earlier section the importance of initiating the intervention as soon after randomisation as possible. Alternatively, it is best to delay the actual randomisation until the time that treatment can be initiated. Thus, for those receiving homoeopathic arnica in the trial of Example 1.4, the treatment could commence immediately postrandomisation. Indeed, the taking of the first medication could be supervised by the responsible investigator so that there was no delay and patients were less likely to withdraw immediately or refuse trial medication. In such a situation, it would not be in the best interest of the trial to randomise the patient and then not to have immediate access to the medication.