• University of Leeds
  • NHS National Institute for Health Research logo

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research

Find out how medical treatments are discovered, tested and evaluated, to improve healthcare for all, on this free online course.

48,778 enrolled on this course

A graphic with the words: ethics, discovery, patients and research
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info

Everything we do in healthcare - every tablet that’s prescribed, every treatment that’s given and every test that’s performed - has to be first discovered and then thoroughly evaluated before it can be put into practice.

This discovery and evaluation is done in a variety of ways, which collectively we call “research.” And research that involves people, we call “clinical research.”

This free online course is all about this process of discovery and how it is used to improve healthcare. Together, we will look in detail at why we do research and how we do it. We will bring this to life through cases studies covering topics such as how research is helping to find new ways of treating and providing care for some of the major diseases including cancer and dementia. Through the course we will focus on the important ethical questions raised by clinical research and take a look into the future.

Over four weeks, we will speak to different members of a research team, including academics and clinicians from the National Institute of Health Research and the University of Leeds. We will also hear from the ordinary people who have participated in clinical research studies.

We’ll learn how they all make invaluable contributions to the process of discovery. By the end, you will have a much better understanding of not only the challenges of conducting clinical research, but also the enormous benefits that it can offer to modern healthcare.

Accreditation

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. By completing the course you will have achieved 16 hours of CPD time.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds We’ve all come to expect a lot of modern health care and medicine in the 21st century. But how can we be sure that all these treatments actually work? That they’re safe and reliable. And how are new treatments developed in the first place? The answer to all of those questions are simple. Research. Everything we do in healthcare, every tablet that is prescribed, every treatment that is given, every aspect of the care that makes modern medicine so remarkable; has first to be discovered. And then thoroughly evaluated before it can be out into practise. This discovery and evaluation is done in a variety of ways, which collectively we call research.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds This free online course is all about that process of discovery, and how it is used to improve healthcare. Together we look in detail at why we do research and how we do it. We’ll focus on the important ethical questions raised by research, and we’ll take a look into the future. Over the four weeks of this course, we’ll meet a wide variety of people who play a key role in research. We’ll learn how they all make invaluable contributions to this process of discovery. And by the end, we will have a much better understanding of not only the challenges of conducting research, but also the enormous benefits that it can offer modern medicine.

Skip to 1 minute and 18 seconds The course is aimed at everyone who wants to know more about modern health care and the role of research and discovery within it. It may be of special interest to senior pupils at school who are contemplating a career in healthcare, as well as those already working in those fields, and who would like to learned more about the research that’s happening around them. I very much hope you’ll join me on this course and I look forward to sharing this fascinating subject with you.

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

This course has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which means it can be used to provide evidence of your continuing professional development.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone who wants to know more about modern healthcare, and the role of clinical research and discovery within it.

It will be of special interest to students at school or college, undergraduates or postgraduates who are contemplating a career in healthcare or the life sciences, as well as health and social care professionals and practitioners who want to find out more about the role of clinical research in improving healthcare.

No previous knowledge is needed to take this course.

Who will you learn with?

I support learning & development for our research delivery teams. We work across education, research & clinical practice to deliver safe & ethical clinical research to make patients & the NHS better.

- MD, PhD
- Worked in clinical research for 30 years.
- Find out more about me and my work at www.allangaw.com and follow my research education and training blog at https://researchet.wordpress.com

Who developed the course?

University of Leeds

As one of the UK’s largest research-based universities, the University of Leeds is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre of excellence for teaching.

National Institute for Health Research

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded through the Department of Health and Social Care to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
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Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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