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A clinical trials database as a research tool in health care
1Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
Objective:
The rapid, efficient, and accurate communication of clinical research findings to both clinicians and researchers is essential to the process of improving medical care. This information should be conveyed in a form that facilitates the interpretation of the complete body of research on a specific condition. Unfortunately, the prevailing system for dissemination of clinical research fails to meet these criteria. This paper proposes a system for cataloging clinical trials and communicating their results in a comprehensive and comprehensible format.
Method:
The system involves the use of a hierarchical matrix structure that allows for the selection and evaluation of related groups of clinical trials. The format of the data is tailored to the requirements of metaanalysis.
Results:
An example is presented using the treatment of acute Crohn's disease and including a sample metaanalysis of immunosuppressive therapy for this condition.
Conclusions:
The hierarchical matrix structure in conjunction with a comprehensive database of clinical trials holds the potential to facilitate access to and interpretation of clinical research.