What are clinical trials and studies?

Clinical research is medical research involving people. There are two types, clinical studies and clinical trials. Clinical studies (sometimes called observational studies) observe people in normal settings. Researchers gather information, group volunteers according to broad characteristics, and compare changes over time. For example, researchers may collect data through medical exams, tests, or questionnaires about a group of older adults over time to learn more about the effects of different lifestyles on cognitive health. Clinical studies may help identify new possibilities for clinical trials. Clinical trials are research studies performed in people that are aimed at evaluating a medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention. They are the primary way that researchers find out if a new treatment, like a new drug or diet or medical device (for example, a pacemaker) is safe and effective in people. Often a clinical trial is used to learn if a new treatment is more effective and/or has less harmful side effects than the standard treatment. Other clinical trials test ways to find a disease early, sometimes before there are symptoms. Still others test ways to prevent a health problem. A clinical trial may also look at how to make life better for people living with a life-threatening disease or a chronic health problem. Clinical trials sometimes study the role of caregivers or support groups. The most important piece for both studies and trials are volunteers, who can be people just like you! Learn more about how you can make a difference by volunteering for clinical trials. Share this information with others on social media: What is the difference between a clinical study and a clinical trial? Find out more about these types of research and how you can get involved: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-clinical-trials-and-studies