14 May 2013
Celebrate International Clinical Trials Day with UH Bristol
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol)
will join organisations and individuals around the world on
Monday 20 May to celebrate International Clinical
Trials Day. The day commemorates the first ever clinical trial
carried out in 1747 comparing different agents for their
effectiveness in treating scurvy.
International Clinical Trials Day will be celebrated across the
Trust during the day and at a public event from 5-7pm on Monday 20
May, at its Education and Research Centre on Upper Maudlin Street,
Bristol.
The event will start at 5pm withrefreshments, posters and
displays about research taking place at UH Bristol, plus general
information about clinical trials. This will then be followed by
some short talks from members of staff undertaking research at the
Trust. These include:
How to do research in an emergency - Professor
Jonathan Benger, director of the Academic Department of Emergency
Care, University of the West of England and consultant in emergency
medicine, UH Bristol.
Preserving muscle mass in patients in the Intensive Care
Unit - Judith Edwards, research physiotherapist at UH
Bristol.
Why young people take part in research - Phoebe
Moulsdale and Michelle Ross, research nurses at UH Bristol, members
of the Medicines for Children Research Network Young Person's
Advisory Group.
Professor David Wynick, director of research at UH Bristol
says: "We are delighted to be celebrating our research across
the Trust with staff, patients and the public on International
Clinical Trials Day next week. Our priority is to develop and
deliver high quality research so that we can improve the services
we provide for patients at UH Bristol and across the NHS."
Clinical trials remain the best way of proving whether a new
treatment is effective. Currently there are 380 clinical trials
taking place at UH Bristol and 600 research studies open. Within
the Trust, research holds the key to transforming care for our
patients. In some areas research is integrated with clinical care
and the vast majority of patients are offered the chance to take
part in a trial.
International Clinical Trials Day is celebrated around the world
on 20 May in order to raise awareness and inform people about
clinical research. It marks the day that the first clinical trial
was started by James Lind in 1747. While a ship's doctor on HMS
Salisbury, he carried our experiments to discover the best
treatment for scurvy, the symptoms of which included loose teeth,
bleeding gums and haemorrhages.
Lind selected 12 sailors suffering from scurvy, and divided them
into six pairs, giving each pair a different treatment: cider,
seawater, garlic with mustard and horseradish, vinegar, sulphuric
acid (a few drops!) or oranges and lemons. Those fed the citrus
fruit experienced a remarkable recovery.
To find out more about clinical research taking place at UH
Bristol please visit /research-innovation
BACK TO NEWS
