Library · Method
Clinical trial
Make it clearer
A clinical trial is a research study that tests, in people, how well a new medical approach works. What is being tested may be meant to prevent a disease, detect it, diagnose it or treat it.
Every trial follows a protocol, which is its game plan: it spells out what will be done, how and why. Think of a written recipe that tells you what goes into the dish, how to make it and what each step is for. In some trials, chance also decides which group each participant joins, like drawing names from a hat. One group receives the intervention being tested; the other, called the control group, does not.
When the thing being tested is a drug or a medical device, the trial moves through several phases. Along the way, researchers test whether it is safe, determine whether it is effective and identify its side effects.
In brief
A clinical trial is a study that tests, in people, how well a new medical approach works to prevent, detect, diagnose or treat a disease.
It follows a protocol describing what will be done, how and why; in some trials, chance assigns each participant to the group that receives the intervention or to the control group, which does not.
The assignment is like drawing names from a hat.
Trials of drugs and medical devices move through several phases that test safety and efficacy and identify side effects.
Sources (2)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineClinical Trials, MedlinePlusPublished
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of HealthWhat Are Clinical Trials and Studies?, National Institute on AgingPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated