Terminology Explained - Jargon Buster

Clinical Study & Research Study – other terms for Clinical Trials

Bias – A flaw in the design, methodology, collection, or interpretation of information during a study which leads to incorrect conclusions about the study’s results.

Clinical Protocol – A plan which says who can join the trial, what treatments they will receive, what question they’re trying to answer, how long the trial will last, and how participants privacy and safety will be protected.

Informed Consent – Giving all the facts to a participant before they volunteer to take part in a clinical trial. Informed consent leaflets include details about the treatments and tests a participant might receive, and the benefits and risks they might have.

Participants - Healthy volunteers or people with a chronic illness or disease who are seeking treatment and decide to take part in a clinical study to receive the treatment being studied.

Comparative Study – A comparative study separates Clinical Trial participants between two groups. One group is given the study treatment and a standard treatment, while the other is given the standard treatment and placebo. The effects of the treatments between the two groups are then compared.

Double Blind Testing – In research, “double blind” means that neither the participants nor researchers are aware who is getting the test treatment and placebo. This is done to negate bias during the study.

Randomisation – Patients are randomly assigned to different groups in the study to prevent bias.