Clinical Trials Day is celebrated on 20 May marking the day in 1747 on which James Lind is believed to have begun the first known controlled trial, comparing different treatments for scurvy which was common among sailors in the British Royal Navy. (Watch a video explaining the trial to see history in the making.)
Learn about Cochrane systematic reviews and how clinical trials are used:
Registering and reporting the results of clinical trials is an ethical, and often legal, responsibility. However, it is well documented that the results of many studies are never published.
Cochrane’s systematic reviews rely upon the results of clinical trials. To assess the effectiveness and safety of healthcare interventions, we need to know what trials were done, how they were conducted and what their findings were. Without access to detailed information from all clinical trials, we cannot have a full picture of the evidence.
Cochrane's clinical trial transparency advocacy:
- Cochrane Convenes report, which covers key issues around clinical trials in emergency conditions
- Cochrane shows support for WHO-ICMRA statement on transparency and data integrity
- Cochrane signs letter asking medicines regulators in Europe to address unpublished clinical trials
- US FDA begins enforcement of clinical trial transparency regulation
- Cochrane Belgium partners on clinical trial transparency report
- Cochrane Austria launches joint trial transparency report
- Cochrane Sweden highlights under-reporting of Swedish clinical trials
- Read the Evidently Cochrane blog post 'Retention to clinical trials: how can we keep participants involved?'
- Read the Cochrane Review 'Strategies to improve retention in randomised trials'
Cochrane Library systematic reviews of interest:
- Strategies to improve retention in randomised trials
- Factors that impact on recruitment to randomised trials in health care: a qualitative evidence synthesis