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Introduction to Clinical Research

Introduction to Clinical Research is a peer reviewed and certified short course covering the basic concepts of clinical research. The course provides an introductory overview aimed at everyone involved in clinical research and focuses on the main areas of why and how clinical research is carried out, the importance of ethics in research, and an outline of the five main clinical study designs.Therefore, one needs to enroll in clinical research courses to equip themselves to understand the working of clinical trials.

Objectives:

Upon completion of the course you will have gained an understanding of:

  1. The basic concepts of clinical research e.g. what it is, how it differs from standard care and why it is undertaken
  2. The purpose of ethics in research, what informed consent is and why it is necessary
  3. Five of the most commonly used study designs
  4. How high ethical standards, data quality and uniformity are maintained in a study

What is clinical research?

Clinical research is how we develop new treatments and knowledge for better health and care, building the evidence for new approaches that are safe and effective.

We work with thousands of patient and public volunteers to conduct research driving the next generation of treatments and care. These studies involve both patients and healthy volunteers. .

Clinical trials and studies

Clinical trials assess new treatments, technologies or methods, whilst other research studies help better understand health and specific conditions.

Some trials and studies split participants into groups, for example giving one group the new treatment and the other the best current treatment or a placebo, which lacks the active ingredient (never given where your health or safety might be compromised).

Comparing the results of these groups allows researchers to determine how effective the new treatment is.

Phases of clinical trails

New treatments progress through four phases, steadily increasing the number of participants to understand whether it is more effective than existing treatment, and should become a new licensed medicine.