Clinical Trials

A clinical trial is a particular type of research study of human volunteers to answer specific health questions. Carefully conducted, clinical trials are a reliable way to find treatments that work in people and ways to improve health. Interventional trials determine whether experimental treatments or new ways of using known therapies are safe and effective under controlled environments. Observational trials address health issues in large groups of people or populations in natural settings.

You can find out which clinical trials are taking place in Australia by visiting the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney.

Follow the links below to find information about clinical trials and randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Reviewed December 2007

Printer friendly page

Related HealthInsite Topics
Participating in Clinical Trials
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about participating in clinical trials
45 Resources Found
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
1    2    3   
Title:   Placebo effect
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   A placebo is any medical treatment that is inert, such as a sugar pill. Around one third of people who take placebos (believing them to be medication) will experience an end to their symptoms. This is called the placebo effect.
Date:   Mar 2007
Title:   ARPANSA - Code of practice for the exposure of humans to ionizing radiation for research purposes (2005)
Publisher:   Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)
Description:   This Code of Practice is designed to ensure that researchers proposing to expose research participants to ionizing radiation provide the participants and the Human Research Ethics Committees with information that allows consent to be properly considered by the research participants and approval considered by the Human Research Ethics Committee.
Date:   Jun 2005
Title:   Australasian Cochrane Centre
Publisher:   Australasian Cochrane Centre
Description:   The Australasian Cochrane Centre is one of a number of Cochrane centres established worldwide to co-ordinate the activities of the Cochrane Collaboration. It is part of the Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Melbourne. and is funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
Date:   Nov 2008
Title:   TGA - Therapeutic Goods Administration
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   Home page of Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). TGA is Australia's regulatory agency for medical drugs and devices.
Date:   Dec 2008
Title:   Access to unapproved therapeutic goods in Australia
Publisher:   Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care
Description:   This document is a consolidation of the information about the mechanisms and regulations that allow patients to access unapproved medicines or medical devices in Australia.
Date:   Jun 2001
Title:   Australian Government Response to the recommendations of the review of clinical trials and access to unapproved therapeutic goods (Bansemer Report) July 2006
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   This document details the Australian Government response to the recommendations made by an independent, external review of the Australian arrangements for clinical trials and access to unapproved therapeutic goods.
Date:   Nov 2006
Title:   Ovarian cancer: choosing treatment
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   How do you choose the right treatment for ovarian cancer? What is a clincial trial?
Date:   Apr 2001
Title:   Hepatitis C treatment snapshot
Publisher:   Haemophilia Foundation Australia
Description:   In Australia there have been various versions of hepatitis C antiviral treatment, including interferon monotherapy in the early 1990s and combination interferon and ribavirin treatment which became available in the later 1990s.
Date:   May 2008
Title:   Update to ADEC statement on use of hormone replacement therapy
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   In the light of the recent information on long term effects of HRT, the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee concluded that the use of HRT for any long term disease prevention cannot be generally justified as the potential harm may outweigh potential benefits.
Date:   Oct 2003
Title:   The Australian clinical trial handbook
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   A simple, practical guide to the conduct of clinical trials to International standards of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) in the Australian context.
Date:   Mar 2006
Title:   Spinal cord regeneration trial in paraplegics
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   In a world first, a clinical trial into spinal cord regeneration surgery in paraplegics has begun.
Date:   Jul 2003
Title:   2003 - Mammography and breast cancer studies
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   Discusses two recent studies regarding the benefits of mammographic screening for breast cancer.
Date:   Nov 2003
Title:   Hormone replacement therapy
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   Report of Expert Committee Convened by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to assess the findings of a report on the safety of the US Women's Health Initiative (combined Hormone Replacement Therapy) trial, Media Releases, and Oestrogen Replacement Therapy and Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer
Date:   Jul 2002
Title:   Clinical research
Publisher:   Novita Children's Services
Description:   Information is provided about the extensive research being undertaken by Novita into clinical practice and general service effectiveness.
Date:   Sep 2007
Title:   PaCCSC
Publisher:   CareSearch
Description:   The Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC) is a research group looking at improving the quality of care for patients through access, awareness and quality use of palliative care medicines in the community through clinical studies.
Date:   May 2008
Title:   The Joanna Briggs Institute
Publisher:   The Joanna Briggs Institute
Description:   Brings together a range of practice-oriented research activities to improve the effectiveness of nursing practice and health care outcomes
Date:   Dec 2008
Title:   Audio-visual presentation of information for informed consent for participation in clinical trials
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. for The Cochrane Collaboration
Description:   Informed consent is important for people who are thinking about participating in a clinical trial. Information for informed consent could be presented on the Internet, DVD, video cassette or by other means. ...
Date:   Nov 2007
Title:   Review of Australian arrangements for clinical trials & access to unapproved therapeutic goods
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   This review examined current regulatory provisions for clinical trials and access to unapproved therapeutic goods in Australia and internationally.
Date:   Apr 2005
Title:   2002 - HT and Alzheimer Dementia
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   A recent report published in the JAMA adds further evidence favouring a protective effect of long-term postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) on the risk of developing Alzheimer's Dementia.
Date:   Sep 2003
Title:   Physiotherapy Choices: which treatment is best for me?
Publisher:   Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy (CEBP)
Description:   Physiotherapy Choices is a database designed for use by consumers of physiotherapy services, including patients, their friends and families, health service managers, and insurers. The database provides a catalogue of the best research evidence of the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions.
Date:   Nov 2008
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
1    2    3