Research and Clinical Care: How They Work Together to Treat Children

A key part of Nationwide Children’s strategic plan is for research and clinical care to work together. Our goal is to lead the journey to the best outcomes for children everywhere. But before we get into how clinical care and research work together, let’s discuss the basics of clinical research.

What Is Clinical Research?

Clinical research is medical research that involves people. It helps develop knowledge to improve human health. When people volunteer to take part in clinical research, it helps medical teams and researchers learn more about diseases to improve health care. Clinical research helps find new ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions. 

What Are Clinical Trials? 

Clinical trials (also called clinical studies) are part of clinical research. They are the main way researchers study new forms of treatment or prevention. These might include a new drug, medical device or behavioral change, like diet and exercise, to see if they are safe and effective. Clinical trials help researchers find better treatment options for many medical conditions.

Why Should People Enroll in Clinical Trials?

Some illnesses and conditions only affect infants and children. Some only affect adults. Clinical research needs to include all kinds of people to ensure that discoveries can benefit everyone. That means all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and even healthy and sick people can be considered. Joining a research study can help advance knowledge and help others, but volunteering for a clinical study is always a personal choice. If someone is asked to join a research study and they decline, saying no will never affect a person’s care at the hospital or clinic.

Why Should Children Participate in Clinical Research?

Children are often left out of clinical trials. This results in fewer medicines and devices that are developed and proven safe specifically for pediatric use. This leaves health care providers and families with fewer options for treatment. It is very important that children and their families are given opportunities to participate in research that can advance our understanding and care of both common and rare pediatric conditions. Families often know that their child can benefit from treatments that were developed because another family participated in research. Involvement in clinical research gives families the chance to help scientists discover the cures and best care for children everywhere.  

What Are the Most Important Factors Parents Should Consider When Enrolling Their Child in a Clinical Study?

Research studies are federally required to undergo rigorous review and oversight to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families. Any study that includes children must obtain approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). An IRB is a group that reviews and monitors research involving human participants to ensure their rights and well-being are protected. All clinical research with children also has additional protections to ensure minimal risk to participating or that the benefits outweigh any known risks. In fact, Nationwide Children's has been officially recognized by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for conducting safe research.

Clinical Research and Clinical Care Working Together

Building an organization where clinical care drives research and research drives clinical care ensures that children receive the most advanced therapies possible. It also brings together bright minds from every corner of the organization dedicated to solving the most challenging problems affecting childhood health.

To keep up to date on the latest clinical research at Nationwide Children’s, follow @NCHClinicalResearch on Instagram.