What are clinical trials?

Clinical Trials are research studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans.

Thousands of people take part in research every day within the NHS, involvement can be as simple as being asked to complete a questionnaire or answer a few questions, to providing a urine or blood sample up to taking part in testing a new medicine or surgical procedure.

Note: Taking part in research is always voluntary.

Steps to take

1 Consult your healthcare provider

Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider. They may know about ongoing clinical trials that you might be eligible for. Look out for advertising posters and leaflets when you attend healthcare appointments.

2 Search for clinical trials

Use online resources to find clinical trials, some key place to look include:

Your local NHS trust website can be a good source of information. We work closely with North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Foundation Trust (UHBW) and both have lots of useful information about how you can take part.

• NBT: Take Part in Research | North Bristol NHS Trust
• UHBW: University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, the major teaching trust in South-West England
• NIHR Be Part of Research: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) runs this service, allowing you to search for UK-based clinical trials.
• UK Clinical Trials Gateway provides information about clinical trials recruiting in the UK.

3 Contact research teams

If you identify a trial that interests you, contact the research team using the provided contact details. They can provide more information about the study and determine if you are eligible.

If you are already taking part in one of our studies and have any questions, please contact the research team directly using the contact information on your participant information sheet, or browse  all studies.