Types of clinical trial

There are 3 types of clinical trial:

Observational

An observational study involves no new treatments and solely the observation of your current state. It might include:

1. samples being taken, such as blood
2. measurements being taken
3. an interview or questionnaire

Interventional

Interventional studies involve receiving a new treatment, for example physiotherapy or new drug, to assess the impacts. These studies are generally:

1. 'Placebo controlled' – some receive the treatment and others do not.
2. 'Double blind' – neither the researchers nor patient know whether the patient has received the real treatment or the placebo until the end of the study.
3. 'Randomised' – neither the patient nor researchers choose whether the patient gets the real treatment or the placebo.

Qualitative

Qualitative research aims to understand more about people's experience of living with a condition. This type of research involves being asked questions or having an open discussion. You might be asked questions about anxiety, pain, or of doing day-to-day activities, for example. The research team will try to identify patterns to understand the issues faced by people living with scleroderma, and ways to tackle them.