On this week's International Clinical Trials Day (20 May), we are celebrating the progress we’re making to bring clinical trial opportunities to Southern NSW Local Health District.
Thanks to the work of our Research Office, and the support of staff across the region, we’re building the expertise and capacity needed to allow us to conduct clinical trials locally in the near future.
Around 88% of clinical trials in Australia happen in major cities - meaning rural and regional patients often miss out. Southern’s District Clinical Trials Coordinator, Nada Bechara, explained, “By running trials locally, we can give people in Southern access to new treatments and diagnostics that could be better than what’s currently available.” Clinical trials provide education and training for our local healthcare teams, helping them build new skills and stay up to date with the latest treatments. They also raise awareness about important health issues and have the ability to create stronger community connections.
Southern NSW LHD is part of the Southern Cluster of the Rural, Regional, and Remote Clinical Trials Enabling Program (R3-CTEP) under the Office of Health and Medical Research which came about from a Medical Research Future Fund Grant. The Southern Cluster includes Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, and Canberra Health Services, which aims to increase capacity and capability, improving access to clinical trials for patients in rural, regional and remote areas.
About International Clinical Trials Day
We celebrate International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD) on May 20 to honour a zesty piece of history!
Back in 1747, James Lind, a British Navy surgeon aboard the HMS Salisbury, ran what’s considered one of the first-ever controlled clinical trials. His mission? Cure scurvy - a nasty disease that plagued sailors. Lind tested different treatments on 12 sailors and found that the group given citrus fruits bounced back the fastest.
That simple trial with sailors and citrus sparked a revolution in medical research - and helped shape the way we test treatments today!