What is healthcare without research - transcript

0:03 Let's imagine what our healthcare was like before it was based on research. This isn't too hard to imagine, for it wasn't that long ago that all medical care was based on folklore and speculation-- and for centuries before that, on little more than magic and superstition. Our forebears had many questions, but they didn't have the hard evidence that allowed them to answer them, and in turn, to make good decisions for their patients. Without clinical research, healthcare is in some ways a guessing game. Of course, with experience, practitioners can learn through trial and error which treatment might be most appropriate. But surely there is a better way.

0:42 And as well as looking backwards, why not imagine a future where there is no more research-- what would medical care be like there? Again, this is an easy thing to imagine. For if clinical research were to stop today, the healthcare of the future would be exactly as it is today-- no new treatments, no new ways of alleviating pain or suffering, no new ways to prevent disease. Healthcare would, in effect, be frozen in time. For it's only through the discovery associated with clinical research that we move forward. Although medical care in the 21st century is remarkable, especially if we compare it even to the recent past, I think we all realise that it isn't perfect.

1:23 There are still conditions that cause great suffering. There are still diseases that we struggle to treat effectively. And some of the treatments we do use may cause unpleasant or unacceptable side effects. We all want healthcare to progress and improve, both for ourselves and for the next generations. Clinical research is the engine that will drive that progress forward.

Link to video https://youtu.be/tQU2NRoJ15M