meta Register of Controlled Trials

Overview

The Current Controlled Trials (CCT) website was set up in October 1998 in response to growing demand for more openness about clinical trials. CCT's metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) aims to promote the availability and exchange of information about randomised controlled trials in all areas of healthcare.

Content

The site is split into three main sections - the mRCT, links and publications.

m RCT

The mRCT currently provides access to 15 major registers (about 6500 trials records) making it one of the largest controlled trials resources in the world.

CCT Links Register

The Links Register is an extremely comprehensive listing of links to online registers of controlled trials, to organisations contributing data to the mRCT, and other sites of potential interest. There are also links to a selection of relevant articles on clinical trials and medical research.

Publications

A series of journals is planned for the future, with the first title in the series having just been launched: Current%20Controlled%20Trials%20in%20Cardiovascular%20Medicine.

Other comments

Access to the site is by registration, although this is free and provides access to the entire site. Personal membership details can be changed by the registrant at any time.

The mRCT is updated with new trials on a daily basis so users can be sure that they have the most up to date information.

It is currently not possible to submit a trial to this site directly; at present, only those trials registered by one of the 15 funding organisations are included in the mRCT. Over the coming weeks, however, a system by which trials can be submitted directly to the mRCT will be made available. This will occur at the same time as the launch of the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number for the unique identification of trials. This should greatly enhance the usefulness of the site.

Evaluation

This site is an important resource for researchers, funders, patients and clinicians.