Clinical research is a vast field wherein new medications and treatments are tested on humans of various ages, sexes, and health conditions to determine if the innovation if effective and safe, which is what decides upon whether the medication/treatment will be approved for usage within the country. There are different types of clinical research, depending upon what the researchers study. Listed below are some of them.
Diagnostic research
This research looks for better ways to identify a particular ailment or health condition.
Screening research
This research aims to find the best ways to detect an ailment or health condition. These trials can be for the general population. They can also include people who have a higher than normal risk of developing the particular disease. The aim is to pick up the ailment early, before the symptoms are even seen.
Genetic research
This research aims to improve ailments by identifying and understanding how genes can be related to the illness. This leads to development of customized treatments, depending upon a patient’s genetic framework.
Treatment research
This research involves an intervention like medication, new devices, new approaches, psychotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.
Prevention research
As the name suggests, this research is used for finding ways to prevent ailments from developing or returning. This trial can be carried out in the general population, not necessarily those who are suffering from the ailment, but generally those who fall into a specific high risk group. The elements included in this research could be medicines, vaccines, minerals, vitamins, and lifestyle changes.
Quality of life research
This research finds ways to improve the quality of life of the patients with a chronic illness, thus making them comfortable.
Epidemiological research
This research aims to identify the patterns, causes, and control of disorders in groups of people. Thus, epidemiological research is an observational one, which looks at whether a particular factor is causing the illness or not. There can be three types of observational studies.
Cohort studies – This looks into groups of people for a set period of time, studying the experiences of people having a certain type of treatment to find out any risk factors. Although time consuming and expensive, cohort studies can be used when it isn’t possible to test a theory in any other way.
Case control studies – Here, the research team recruits a group of people who suffer from an illness, and a group of people who don’t. Then, they look into analyzing the number of people in each group who are exposed to a certain risk factor. Comparatively, case control studies are quicker and cheaper then cohort studies, but the results may be less reliable.
Cross sectional studies – These studies are carried out at one point in time, or over a short period of time, to find out who has been exposed to a risk factors and who has developed an illness, and see if there is a link. These studies are also quick and cheap, but results are less useful.
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