|
Children's Hospital Boston announced today the launch of a new interactive Web site aimed at helping parents make an educated decision about whether or not to enroll their child in a clinical trial. The Web site, www.researchchildren.org, developed with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, does not address specific clinical trials, but is intended to help parents be better equipped to ask, and find answers to, questions about a clinical trial they may be considering.
Those who visit the site will be able to view a series of video clips addressing issues involved in pediatric research, including common misunderstandings in research, differences between research and medical therapy, and potential conflicts of interest. These topics, as well as a reference library that includes a glossary of commonly used terms, are also available on the Web site in written form. The site also allows parents to prepare and print out a list of questions for their child's health care providers or research team.
''Our goal with the development of this Web site was to provide parents with tools to help them make an informed decision about whether or not to give permission for their child to be in a clinical trial,'' said Dr. James Mandell, principal investigator on the project and president and chief executive officer of Children's Hospital Boston. ''Up until the launch of this Web site, there were very few widely-available and impartial resources for parents trying to decide whether or not to permit their child to participate in research. The availability of this tool will give them the opportunity to learn more about research before deciding whether or not to have their child participate in a specific clinical trial.''
|
