Trial
Trial (medicine)
Trial (pronounced: /ˈtraɪəl/) is a term used in the field of medicine to refer to a scientific study that is designed to test the safety and effectiveness of a new drug, medical device, or medical procedure. The term originates from the Latin word "trialis" which means "of or pertaining to a trial or test".
Types of Trials
There are several types of trials in medicine, including:
- Clinical trial: A type of research that studies new tests and treatments and evaluates their effects on human health outcomes. These trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective.
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT): This is a type of scientific experiment that aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment. The people participating in the trial are randomly allocated to either the group receiving the treatment under investigation or to a group receiving standard treatment (or placebo treatment) as the control.
- Observational trial: In this type of trial, researchers observe the effect of a risk factor, diagnostic test, treatment or other intervention without trying to change who is or isn't exposed to it.
Phases of Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases. Each phase has a different purpose and helps researchers answer different questions:
- Phase I trial: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
- Phase II trial: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
- Phase III trial': The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
- Phase IV trial: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
Related Terms
- Placebo: A substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.
- Double-blind: A type of study in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants are receiving the active treatment and which are receiving the placebo.
- Single-blind: A type of study in which the participants do not know whether they are receiving the active treatment or the placebo, but the researchers do.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Trial
- Wikipedia's article - Trial
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski