CLINICAL-TRIALS - WHAT MORE IS NEEDED - A CRITICAL-VIEW

Traditional divisions of medical research Medical research has been tr aditionally classified as 'basic' and 'applied'. The latter category h as tended to emphasize the value of randomized controlled trials. Thes e, however, cannot be applied to routine clinical care without conside rable extrapolation. There is a further need for research into optimal methods of health care delivery directed at improving the standards o f treatment and taking account of such factors as socio-economic need and barriers to access. Requirement for an integrated programme of res earch If the full opportunities offered by scientific research are to be exploited, an integrated programme of research is required which ex tends from the basic to the applied and which recognizes the tradition al, end-point, controlled trial as only one component in a spectrum of scientific activity.