There are certain procedures and treatments which do not work as well on animal subjects. In order to gain more conclusive evidence and understand how different diseases and viruses behave, tests are needed using the human body.
If a particular medicine has proven effective in animals, it typically moves onto clinical trials. These have additional ethical implications due to the rights of the subjects and the role of consent, which is why clinical trials are a little more complicated.
This is a quick guide to the different types of clinical trials, and the role that they can have on a new treatment that could be in development.
Why Do We Need Clinical Trials?
Because viruses and infections are becoming more powerful and adapting to modern medicine, we need clinical trials in order to continue working on treatments, medications, and diagnoses. Clinical trials use new technology and scientific innovations to diagnose diseases and even find new ways of detecting the early stages of particular diseases.
Not only that but clinical trials can be used to discover the impact of certain preventive measures on a disease to see how the human body responds. New treatments are emerging all of the time, and it is worth checking out With Power for more information.
Interventional
This is the most frequently used type of clinical trial within medicine and treatment research. Participants are normally blindly assigned to one of two groups; treatment and control groups. It aims to find out more about the possible effects of a particular medicine or intervention.
Observational
In contrast, observational clinical trials are normally seen within social fields including psychology and statistics. General trends are observed without dividing participants into groups or influencing people’s treatments. Because there is less control over the variables in observational studies, it is more challenging to test medical treatments and particular approaches.
Prevention Trials
Like the name suggests, prevention trials aim to find ways of preventing a particular disease or illness from emerging. The risk factors are usually closely examined beforehand, which allows scientists to gain more detailed knowledge about a particular disease. Preventative trials can help researchers to protect individuals that are at-risk and potentially save lives.
Screening Trials
These types of trials take a closer look at the ways of detecting certain diseases. Current methods are evaluated in terms of how effective and reliable they are, and whether they generate true results consistently. The aim of screening trials is to find ways of detecting harmful diseases before symptoms are present so that patients can engage in the necessary lifestyle changes and prevent them from getting worse.
Diagnostic Trials
Similar to screening trials, diagnostic trials are used to figure out how effective and reliable the current tests used to diagnose a condition or disease are. There is continuous research taking place in order to find the most efficient and fast diagnostic methods which can make the entire process much easier for specialists and patients alike.
Treatment Trials
The intervention itself is tested using treatment clinical trials. This refers to the treatment methods specific to a condition or disease and assessing how well they are working. New combinations of drugs, approaches to surgery, and even radiation therapy is on the horizon and there is regular assessment of different methods of treatment.
Behavioral Trials
These are based on the different behavioral methods that can affect a particular illness or disease. Research has proven that particular behavioral changes can improve a person’s health and state of wellness, and these trials can be used to encourage healthier behaviors among larger populations.
Quality Of Life Trials
Finally, these types of trials take a closer look at how the quality of life can be improved among people with particular illnesses, diseases, and conditions. Whether it means making them more comfortable or confident on a regular basis, these trials can be groundbreaking when it comes to long-term care.
Summary
There is a range of clinical trials that are worth being aware of because they can lead to new and exciting scientific breakthroughs in the future. Each has its own ways of testing particular treatments and approaches, and it is worth keeping a close eye on the future of these different clinical trials.
With the changing times towards more advanced methods of research, it is essential that we are aware of the different types of clinical trials which are taking place within the scientific community. This can help fundraise and support a range of research, which could lead to improvements in the quality of life of people with a particular condition.
