The Research Process and Goals
Why do we conduct clinical research and how do we create a plan to complete the research?
Key Points
- Clinical research projects are scientific studies involving people. They are the cornerstone of evidence-based practice.
- Clinical research helps determine the safety and effectiveness (efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use.
- The information gained from clinical research may be used for prevention, treatment, diagnosis, or for relieving symptoms of a disease or associated condition.
Helpful Links, Videos and Online Courses
Overview
- The Basics – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- The National Institute of Health (NIH) provides a helpful overview of clinical research trials.
- Learn About Clinical Studies – ClinicalTrials.gov
- This resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides a nice overview of clinical trials, and includes a registry and results information database for clinical research studies.
Videos
- Introduction to Clinical Research
- The Clinical Research Institute provides this 7-minute introductory video on Clinical Research.
- Clinical Researcher: Introduction to Clinical Research
- Dr. Sulaiman Sait in his series of videos on the clinical researcher in this 7-minute video, provides a nice overview of clinical research.
Online Courses
- Introduction to Clinical Research – Global Health Training Centre
- The Global Health Network offers a very good online course on the Introduction to Clinical Research. This course is available free of cost, takes about 45 minutes to complete, and it also provides certification.