What Is Clinical Research? An Overview For Those Considering Clinical Research Training

Clinical research is the process of investigating medical treatments, drugs, and devices in human subjects to evaluate their safety and efficacy. It is a vital aspect of healthcare and has significantly contributed to the development of innovative treatments and cures for various diseases.

For those interested in undergoing Clinical Research training, AAPS’ Clinical Research, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance Certificate courses offer a direct pathway to the attainment of a full understanding of Clinical Research and what it entails. The program also helps students achieve a holistic and comprehensive understanding of Good Clinical Practices, Standard Operating Procedures, and relevant industrial legislation, guidelines, and frameworks.

Read on for an overview of clinical research, including its objectives, phases, and regulations.

Phases of Clinical Trials

The primary goal of clinical research is to generate scientific evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of medical treatments. The research typically involves human subjects, and the results can help inform clinical decision-making, improve patient outcomes, and advance medical knowledge. Clinical research can also help identify potential safety concerns or side effects of treatments, allowing for the refinement or discontinuation of harmful therapies.

Clinical research is typically conducted in four phases, with each phase serving a different purpose:

• Phase 1 involves a small group of healthy volunteers and is focused on assessing the safety of the intervention.
• Phase 2 involves a larger group of patients and is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of the treatment.
• Phase 3 involves an even larger group of patients and is designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the intervention with standard treatments or placebo.
• Phase 4 involves post-marketing surveillance to monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of the intervention.

During clinical research training, you’ll learn about the phases of clinical trials.

Clinical Research Regulations

In order to protect human subjects’ rights and welfare, clinical research is subject to strict regulations. The guidelines and regulations are designed to ensure that clinical research is conducted ethically, with informed consent from participants, and that the benefits of the research outweigh the risks. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) oversee the conduct of clinical research, while the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) oversees clinical research in Canada.

Clinical research training helps researchers understand clinical research regulations.

To ensure that clinical research is conducted effectively, several key players in clinical research training are involved in the process. These include investigators, who are responsible for the overall conduct of the study, ensuring that the study protocol is followed, and analyzing the results. Other key players include study coordinators, who manage the day-to-day operations of the study and ensure that the protocol is followed, and data managers, who are responsible for collecting, managing, and analyzing study data.

Clinical Research Training

Training in Clinical Research is necessary for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the field. Clinical research training programs can provide the knowledge and skills necessary to design, conduct, manage, monitor, and analyze the results of clinical trials.

Clinical research training is essential for budding Clinical Research professionals.

Our Clinical Research, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance Certificate program at AAPS introduces budding clinical researchers to the subject and industry through a series of comprehensive and hands-on clinical research courses. During their training, students are exposed to practices and standards obtained in the global healthcare system, focusing on the Canadian healthcare system. Our unique approach to instruction ensures that our students emerge with all the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to pursue rewarding and fulfilling careers in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological, Medical Devices, Cosmetics, Natural Health Products, and allied industries.

Are you ready to obtain your clinical research certification?

Contact AAPS for more information to learn how you can get started.