35-39 Trial Launch

Randomised trials can be a bore – raising money, getting approvals and slowly, oh so slowly, recruiting, treating and following-up.  But there are good moments.

Getting the money is one, although often so spun out with revisions and negotiations that, when the letter finally arrives, the pleasure has dissipated. Publication day is another, and it seems churlish to be dissatisfied with that. But by then you know how you could have done it better. The corners cut, follow-ups missed, and ambiguous results all gnaw away at the pleasure.

But the launch is undiluted. Money has been found, approvals obtained, and collaborators are keen to start. There’s even time to correct design flaws. I love trial launch meetings.

Here are Kate Walker and the rest of the 35/39 trial team at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, last week.  As happy as we will ever be.

Want to know more? Here’s the website www.35/39trial.org

Jim Thornton