Introduction to Clinical Research (National Institute for Health Research)
A free online course, created by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), providing an overview of different types of research and the clinical research process. Suitable for anyone wanting to know more about how research trials are carried out and increase their confidence in talking to patients about research.
Who is the course for?
All health and care professionals who want to know more about research and increase their confidence in talking to patients about research. It is also useful for those starting a career in research.
What will participants learn?
Upon completing this course you should be able to:
- Identify different types of research
- Understand the research process
- Recall information about clinical trial phases
- Understand clinical research terms such as blinding and placebos
- The course also covers an introduction to study set-up and conduct, data quality and management, and research regulation and governance.
How does it work?
This is a self-directed learning course and does not contain any assessment. You can log in at any time and work through the course at a pace that suits you.
The full course should take 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete. This is split between 4 learning modules. You can choose to complete only the modules that are most useful for you.
This course contains multimedia resources. You'll be able to read, watch and listen to multimedia and interactive resources.
To access the course, create an ‘NIHR Learn’ account on the NIHR website. Then search 'Introduction to Clinical Research'.
Related resources
We're dedicated to finding new treatments, faster. But without people taking part in research, this simply can't happen. Help us get there by sharing our research leaflet with your patients.