Clinical Research refers to trials that are run to enhance the quality of medical facilities, with the purpose of studying the usage of drugs and medical devices. The objective of Clinical Research is to find new ways to improve life quality and work on maintaining and re-establishing health. Clinical researchers work with medical professionals to determine the benefits and risks involved in the usage of medicines to develop new ways to treat diseases and help patients with rare health conditions.
As an industry, Clinical Research is experiencing massive growth, and students are looking at it as an attractive career option. So, here’s everything you need to know this vertical.
TYPES OF CLINICAL RESEARCH
There are various kinds of clinical research conducted in accordance with the type of objective the researcher wishes to achieve. These include the following:
1. Prevention Research: This kind of clinical research works at developing new ways to prevent diseases. Developing vaccinations and suggesting lifestyle changes to avoid certain health conditions are all crucial parts of this prevention research.
2. Treatment Research: This research focuses on coming up with new forms of treatment methods to cure diseases.
3. Screening Research: This involves working to develop new ways to diagnose health issues.
4. Quality of Life Research: As the name suggests, this kind of clinical research helps people who are suffering from chronic diseases improve their quality of life.
5. Genetic Research: Some health conditions are hereditary, and genetic research attempts to find ways to enhance the genetic makeup of individuals, making them less likely to acquire diseases genetically.
PHASES OF CLINICAL RESEARCHMost clinical researches are conducted in 4 phases. These phases help maintain a systematic approach and serve different purposes in the study process.
1. Phase – 1: In the first stage of Clinical Research, researchers test the new drug or treatment on stipulated sample sizes. In this phase, researchers attempt to determine the ideal quantity at which the drug should be used. They even try to look for side-effects and find how safe the medication or treatment is.
2. Phase – 2: In the second phase, researchers increase the sample size, try to identify the side-effects, and assess the safety of the treatment.
3. Phase – 3: In the third phase, the sample size is increased even more, and the observations are compared with general medical activity. This phase helps researchers confirm the efficacy of the treatment and understand whether or not it's safe for use.
4. Phase – 4: In the fourth and final phase, researchers work to evaluate the long-term effects of the treatment. This phase takes place after valid approvals, where researchers administer the treatment or drug on large sample sizes for long durations. This helps in understanding the kind of effect this treatment will have over a long period.
CLINICAL RESEARCH AS A CAREER OPTION
Education in clinical research opens up a variety of career opportunities. It is an excellent direction for someone with entry-level medical experience and can drive their career in an industry that is not just exciting and fulfilling but also has the potential to save lives. Here are a few career avenues that one can pursue after education in Clinical Research.
1. Clinical Data Management: Clinical Data Management involves the derivation and sorting of data required to conduct any form of research.
2. Clinical Research Scientist: The Role of the Clinical Research Scientist involves conducting and monitoring medical trials.
3. Medical Writer: A medical writer is required to document the findings of the trials.
4. Clinical Safety Analyst: The Clinical Safety Analyst is required to report the positive and negative incidents that take place during the research.
In addition to these, there are a plethora of other career options in the exciting field of Clinical Research, and ICRI provides an industry-ready course in this domain in the form of MSc in Clinical Research, which trains you in the skills required to make a mark in this industry.
The writer of this content is a talented writer. ICRI is a reputed educational institute that offers many useful courses to the students including clinical research courses.