What are Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are research studies where people volunteer to help test new ways to prevent, detect, treat, or manage health conditions. These may include new tests, treatments, procedures, or changes to the way care is delivered.
Clinical trials help researchers understand whether these new approaches are safe, effective, and better than what is already available.
A clinical trial might test things like:
- New medicines or treatments that haven’t been approved yet
- Vaccines
- Medical devices
- Surgical techniques
- Behavioural or psychological therapies
- Improvements to how health services are delivered
- Dietary programs
- Education or lifestyle changes
- New ways to diagnose or screen for diseases
By taking part in a clinical trial, you’re helping improve healthcare for everyone — now and in the future.
Clinical trials involving new medicines are carried out in different stages, known as phases.
Each phase is designed to answer specific questions and serves a unique purpose in understanding how a new treatment works.
- Phase I: This is the first time a new treatment is tested in people. It involves a small number of participants and focuses on finding a safe dose and identifying any side effects.
- Phase II: Once a treatment is shown to be safe in Phase I, it is tested in a larger group to see how well it works and to continue monitoring for side effects.
- Phase III: This phase involves even more people, often across multiple hospitals, regions, or countries. The goal is to confirm how effective the treatment is and compare it to existing options. This is usually the final step before the treatment can be approved.
- Phase IV: These studies happen after the treatment has been approved. Researchers continue to monitor its safety and effectiveness in a broader population over a longer period.
Find a clinical trial
There are a few clinical trial registries you can use to look up clinical trials:
Welcome to Australian Cancer Trials – Clinical Trials Search
You can also talk to your doctor about how you can access clinical trials for your condition.
We know it can be hard to understand clinical trials. Here are some helpful patient-led resources that you may find useful.
Australian Clinical Trials
For information on what you should know before joining a clinical trial.
https://www.australianclinicaltrials.gov.au/participants/what-you-should-know
Siri explains clinical trials
The Siri explains clinical trials video was developed in partnership with clinical trial staff and regional/rural trial participants to raise awareness of clinical trials.
Access the Siri Explains video here
Teletrial brochure
A teletrial is where two or more hospitals deliver a clinical trial together using video technology. You won’t notice any difference in your care, it just means our hospital can deliver more trials to our patients.
The Gift of Healing – First Nations clinical trial brochure
Through our involvement with the TrialHub program, our community was included in the development of a special brochure that will help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities understand clinical trials and their benefits. The artwork was developed over eight months by Dixon Patten. Dixon is a proud Gunnai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, Dhudhuroa man with bloodlines from Wemba Wemba, Barapa Barapa, Djab Wurrung, Wiradjuri, Yuin, Wodi Wodi, Wolgal, Monaro.
About the art: Our healing experiences can sometimes feel isolating and lonely. This art reminds us that we are part of a community with an abundance of strength and resilience. Our journeys are guided by such deep cultural and spiritual connection to our country’s and each other and that taking ownership of our healing is a powerful gift we give ourselves and our communities.
Download the brochure soon
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) clinical trial video
This video has been designed in partnership with TrialHub and people from Culturally and Linguistically (CALD) communities to help people understand clinical trials better, and to show they are open to everyone.
Cancer Council Victoria
For cancer clinical trial general information, check out CCV’s patient hub.
https://trials.cancervic.org.au/