Publishing Clinical Trials Results
Clinical trials are research studies in which people assist doctors in finding ways health and control of disease each research study scientifically strives to answer the questions and finding solutions to the diagnosis, treatment a and prevention of a disease. A clinical trial is said to be the final stage of a long and a careful research process where studies are done with patients e.g. for cancer patients to find out whether the approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment are effective and safe. In this trial there are different types of clinical trials.
A preventing trial is testing on new approaches such as medicine, minerals, vitamins that believes that it may lower the risk of a disease for this case cancer. And more so, prevention of the tendency of the re occurrence of the same disease. Treatment trial therefore is carrying out test on new treatments such as new drugs, new approaches to surgery, radiation therapy, new combination of treatment and new methods carried out on gene therapy. There is also screening trial which is a test carried out to identify a disease in its early stages and quality of life trials are done to explore the various approaches to improve the quality of life for the suffering patients.
Advantages of Publishing All Clinical Trials Results
The published results of trials give a clearer picture if many of the published trials are taken together. Many trials tend to give confusing, unclear and contradictory results. Therefore it is less effective to look into individual tests. With the publication of the results, clinicians who may have an interest in that particular field may have the opportunity to evaluate the results to gain knowledge which may be useful for other future trials (Pocock, 1983).
When the trials are published and availed, there is speedy access to regular updates and summaries brought about by the high quality systematic reviews published in the leading journalist collaborations and therefore they can be used for reviewing and distributing to other beneficial users. (Hayward Communications 2001)
A clinical trial publication offers a uniquely great advantage to researchers in terms of smooth publication of results in international and national journals.
More so it builds up public confidence in the conduct and clarity in clinical trials for it encourages researchers to participate in more scientific, meaningful and ethically sound research. Also when the results are published, there is a better opportunity for other clinicians to review them, criticize and give their opinions and contributions towards the same.
The other great advantage is that it minimizes the wastage of resources in that duplication of studies are reported in places colleges are carrying out studies using or rather producing what is actually what’s not their own. ( Khopkar U, Pande S. 2008)
Disadvantages Of Publishing Clinical Trials Results
There is failure in the traditional reviews in that, since the reviews have also been part of the medical literature which may be due to the long time experience and professional knowledge, it makes it difficult to achieve the review of evidence in support of their strong beliefs.
Also the findings from a systematic reviews can not correlate with the findings from large scale high quality single trials hence need to be analyzed against the conflicting evidence from other sources.(Hayward Medical Communications 2001 )
The quality of the evidence tabled can sometimes go beyond the conclusions and recommendations drawn by the reviewers due to their enthusiasm.
Conclusion
It’s the readers’ obligation to analyses and exercise reasonable judgment on whether individual flaws undermine the findings, since all studies are presumed to have flaws that may nullify the findings. Although also these flawed studies may carry pertinent information.
References
Khopkar U, Pande S. 2008.Registration and reporting of clinical trials. Web.
Stuart J. Pocock. 1983. Clinical Trials: A Practical Approach. John Wiley and Sons.