Difference Between Clinical Research and Clinical Practice

Difference Between Clinical Research and Clinical Practice

We all think that clinical research and clinical practice means the same, which is not the case. Although both clinical research and clinical practice involve patient care and the medical profession, they serve different purposes within the healthcare system.

Clinical Research 

Clinical research is a knowledge-oriented and booming industry. It is one of the industries growing at an alarming rate and widening the scope of employment opportunities for trained people. It includes scientific analysis of the risks, impacts and benefits of medicines or a medicinal product. The tests are performed at different stages to scrutinize the safety and monitor the side effects if any. The drug used in clinical research is experimental where there is an element of uncertainty. The drug may or may not prove efficacious and could possibly have adverse effects.

Clinical research must be conducted in adherence to the written and approved protocol including the regulations for its ethical conduct. The regulations and guidelines are detailed and specific and clinical research is governed by strict ethical and regulatory frameworks. Here, a drug is administered to humans with an objective to assess the drug’s safety and efficacy and passes through different phases before it sees the light of the day.

The purpose of clinical trials is not to evaluate a medicine under actual practice conditions but answers the trial objectives. it is designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge. Participants volunteer to take part in studies after signing the informed consent document that may or may not directly benefit them. They contribute to knowledge that benefits patients in the future.

Clinical research is monitored for safety and compliance

Clinical Practice 

This differs in many ways from clinical research. Clinical practice does not require a protocol. The practice of medicine combines both science as the evidence base and skill in the application of the medical knowledge to determine the treatment protocol for each patient.

Clinical practice refers to the day-to-day care of patients by healthcare professionals using established treatments. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life of individual patients through diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The focus of a healthcare professional in medical practice is on patient care and management. the patients seek medical care for their condition which has been approved and in use based on prior research studies.

To summarise, both, clinical research and clinical practice are essential pillars of modern medicine — one drives discovery, and the other delivers care. Clinical research seeks to answer questions about what should work, clinical practice applies what is known to work. Both ensure that healthcare continually evolves, becoming safer, more effective, and more evidence-based.