What are Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are research studies where people volunteer to help test new ways to prevent, detect, treat, or manage health conditions. These may include new tests, treatments, procedures, or changes to the way care is delivered.
Clinical trials help researchers understand whether these new approaches are safe, effective, and better than what is already available.
A clinical trial might test things like:
- New medicines or treatments that haven’t been approved yet
- Vaccines
- Medical devices
- Surgical techniques
- Behavioural or psychological therapies
- Improvements to how health services are delivered
- Dietary programs
- Education or lifestyle changes
- New ways to diagnose or screen for diseases
By taking part in a clinical trial, you’re helping improve healthcare for everyone — now and in the future.
Clinical trials involving new medicines are carried out in different stages, known as phases.
Each phase is designed to answer specific questions and serves a unique purpose in understanding how a new treatment works.
- Phase I: This is the first time a new treatment is tested in people. It involves a small number of participants and focuses on finding a safe dose and identifying any side effects.
- Phase II: Once a treatment is shown to be safe in Phase I, it is tested in a larger group to see how well it works and to continue monitoring for side effects.
- Phase III: This phase involves even more people, often across multiple hospitals, regions, or countries. The goal is to confirm how effective the treatment is and compare it to existing options. This is usually the final step before the treatment can be approved.
- Phase IV: These studies happen after the treatment has been approved. Researchers continue to monitor its safety and effectiveness in a broader population over a longer period.
Find a clinical trial
See a list of currently recruiting clinical trials at Bayside Health Peninsula
You can also talk to your doctor about how you can access clinical trials for your condition.
Clinical trials explained
Adriana shares her personal experience of taking part in a clinical trial at Bayside Health Peninsula.
Thinking about joining a clinical trial
If you are thinking about joining a clinical trial, these resources can help you understand what’s involved and support you to make an informed decision.
What you should know before joining a clinical trial – Australian Clinical Trials
Thinking about joining a clinical trial – Consumer information brochure
Places to learn more
These websites list public details about registered clinical trials, including the purpose of the study, where it is running, and who is sponsoring it.
- Australian Clinical Trials (Australian Government) – A plain‑language search site that draws information from ANZCTR and ClinicalTrials.gov https://www.australianclinicaltrials.gov.au
- Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) – You can search for your trial using its trial name or registration number https://www.anzctr.org.au
- ClinicalTrials.gov (international studies)
Useful for globally sponsored studies https://clinicaltrials.gov - Cancer Council Victoria – For cancer clinical trial general information, check out CCV’s patient hub.https://trials.cancervic.org.au/
Clinical Trials Feedback – please tell us about your experience
Bayside Health Peninsula clinical trial participants and their support persons can refer to the Clinical Trials Feedback brochure at any stage of their trial journey. There are four steps that participants can take to provide feedback:
- Talk to their Research Team – participants are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns directly with their research team
- Complete an online feedback form – available via the Bayside Health Peninsula website
- Escalate unresolved concerns – if issues remain, participants can contact the Consumer Experience and Feedback Team (CEFT)
- Complete the Clinical Trial Consumer Experience Survey