Publications
International Registration of Clinical Trials
International Registration of Clinical Trials is one of the deliverables and initiatives being developed under WHO leadership with a planned launch during the World Ministerial Summit on Health Research in Mexico (November 16-20, 2004).
The initiative was conceived within the context of the need to increase international access to and utilization of health-related knowledge. Access to both published and ongoing research is necessary for informed decision-making, not just by those working in and using the health services, but also by organizations and individuals funding and doing research.
Properly used trial registers would inform research ethics boards and research funding agencies making sure that it is ethical to conduct proposed trials and in prioritizing the research they fund (by ensuring that a similar trial is not in progress or already done).
In addition to their uses by researchers and reviewers, trial registers are used by patients to inform them of which trials are open for participation