New International Clinical Trial Register

A new online service provides unique numbers to randomized controlled trials in all areas of healthcare and from all countries in the world. This service, designed to address the current confusion experienced by the clinical trials community, is called the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) Register.

Currently, several trials may have the same title, one may be reported in several places under different titles, and many trials are never reported. The new register assigns a unique number to each randomized controlled trial in order to track the trial unambiguously throughout its life cycle. The register is being launched after a successful pilot by the UK Medical Research Council and the UK Coordinating Committee for Cancer Research. To date, more than 80 organizations that have sponsored trials have already registered, and the database now contains more than 750 records.

Several trial registers are in existence with their own numbering schemes. Also, specific registers exist for diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes. The US National Library of Medicine has created a website providing details of trials in the United States. The new register is unique, however, since it is not limited to a specific disease or geographic area. Medical journals are being encouraged to allow authors to include their ISRCTN in any research they publish, so that the trials can be easily identified in databases such as MEDLINE and PubMed.

"Acting rather like the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) on the back of every book, the ISRCTN will simplify the identification of trials and provide a unique number that can be used to track all publications and reports resulting from each trial,” said Anne Greenwood, managing director, Current Controlled Trials Ltd. (London, UK), which developed the register. Registering details are provided on the company's website (www.controlled-trials.com).





Related Links:
Current Controlled Trials