Clinical Research
Holdsworth House clinical research unit has participated in research since our Sydney practice was founded, and the semi-autonomous research unit has grown to become one of Sydney's most ambitious and comprehensive. Holdsworth House clinical research has participated in almost every major national and international HIV clinical research study conducted during the past few years, and is one of Australia's largest recruiter's for HIV treatment studies.
The research unit has participated in over 50 studies, and is constantly supervising the progress of between 20 to 30 studies at any time. The number of participants for each study ranges from 5 to over 200. Such studies include investigating new treatment options for HIV and influenza, sociological and epidemiological research and many aspects of sexual health. New treatments for hypertension and gout are also being explored. Health research is a continuous process and as such, Holdsworth House Medical Practice is always involved in cutting edge research that can benefit its patients.
All studies conducted at Holdsworth House Medical Practice are approved by an independent human research ethics committee (HREC), be they conducted on behalf of private pharmaceutical companies, as collaborations with hospitals and / or the National Centre in HIV Epidemiological and Clinical Research, or initiated by Holdsworth House Medical Practice.
Research
Clinical research is a form of medical science that is generally used to assess the safety and effectiveness of medications, treatment regimens and diagnostic products that may be used for prevention, treatment, diagnosis, or for relief of symptoms in a disease. These studies are conducted when the medication or therapy is intended for human use.
Clinical research can be conducted using two methods, interventional and observational. Interventional studies are used to determine the efficacy and safety of new medications or dosages of known therapies under controlled circumstances. Observational studies aim to collect data for populations in natural settings and typically include large numbers of participants.
The Australian government requires medication to be tested to confirm it is safe and effective. It is not until this data has been assessed by the Australian government's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) that new medicines are approved for prescribing by your doctor or hospital and made available for sale at the pharmacy.
In Australia, clinical research must conform to the Ethical Principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, as well as the international Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Before a study can go ahead, it needs to be approved by independent ethics committees that operate according the guidelines issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). All of the studies conducted at Holdsworth House Medical Practice have prior ethical approval and meet GCP guidelines. We are regularly audited to ensure that standards are constantly maintained.
Below is a list of the types of clinical research studies performed at Holdsworth House Medical Practice. If you are interested in participating in clinical research at Holdsworth House Medical Practice, please speak to your doctor. Alternatively, expressions of interest can be registered at research@holdsworthhouse.com.au. We are currently recruiting participants for healthy volunteer studies.
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