• Topic
• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Reasons for wanting your child to take part: child’s health >> Reasons for wanting your child to take part: child’s health

Reasons for wanting your child to take part: child’s health

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Understanding allocation (randomisation) to a treatment comparison group >> Understanding allocation (randomisation) to a treatment comparison group

Understanding allocation (randomisation) to a treatment comparison group

• Clip
• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Long term health conditions >> Paul - Interview 38 >> Paul remembers there being different groups, but can’t remember what they were, he was happy for his son to take part whichever group he was allocated

Paul’s son was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago when he was aged 6 years. Soon after his son’s diagnosis Paul was invited to enrol his son in a protocol for a randomised controlled trial to assess hospital versus home management in childhood diabetes.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Vaccine trials >> Rachel - Interview 24 >> Randomsiation is a bit like ‘flipping a coin’, but it is an important part of the scientific process, to ensure the results are not biased.

Rachel consented for her three children to take part in a Swine Flu Vaccine Trial earlier in 2010. Her interest in Clinical Trials was a primary motive for taking part.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Health Professional >> Helena - Interview 35 >> Helena, a senior research nurse has a lot of experience of clinical trials and explains what some of these terms mean.

Helena says that communication is key to her role as Senior Research Nurse. Helena explains how her role helps to support parents and children when they participate in a clinical trial, from beginning to end and after the trial has finished.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Growth hormone trials >> Lisa - Interview 17 >> Lisa’s son was allocated to the group with the highest dose of growth hormone. She thought the higher dose would be better for him because he was so s

Callum was 2lb 12oz at birth and at the age of four years was small compared to his peers. Since being on growth hormones Callum has now caught up and is nearly the same size as his peers. He continues to be in the trial and enjoys taking part.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Long term health conditions >> Ann - Interview 57 >> Ann described randomisation as ‘pot luck’ and ‘trial and error’.

Soon after Emily was diagnosed, Ann was invited to enrol her daughter in a randomised trial on improving the treatment of Grave’s disease. Ann discussed it with Emily and they agreed to take part.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Long term health conditions >> Emma - Interview 10 >> Emma understood why some parents would be upset to be in the control group.

Emma enrolled her son in a clinical trial for the Ketogenic Diet when he was aged seven years. She says it is the best thing to have happened to him. Matthew is now off his Ketogenic Diet and Emma says it has changed all their lives for the better.

• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Health Professional >> Helena - Interview 35 >> In this clip Helena gives some examples of the questions parents ask when their child is taking part in a blinded, placebo controlled trial.

Helena says that communication is key to her role as Senior Research Nurse. Helena explains how her role helps to support parents and children when they participate in a clinical trial, from beginning to end and after the trial has finished.

• Condition
• Medical research >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences >> Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences

Publication date:  May 2011     Updated: January 2012

Review date: Under review

 

Well-designed clinical trials make a vital contribution to advancing medical knowledge, and so improve treatment, care and quality of life for all, including children. Because children are different from adults developmentally and physiologically, clinical trials in children are essential to ensure they receive appropriate, safe and effective treatments and care.  

When parents are asked to enrol their children in a clinical trial it is important they understand what is involved and can make informed choices – together with their children, if they are old enough. In this healthtalkonline module 29 parents and 3 health professionals share their experiences of children being invited to take part in clinical trials.

 

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See also Clinical trials in children and young people and Clinical Trials