Dear parents, children, grandparents, loved ones!
Science and medicine have long understood that children are not small adults. Therefore, it is not possible to use adult medications in children simply by changing the dosage.
The processes that occur in a child's body with medications may differ from those that occur in an adult's body. The child's age, illnesses, and physical characteristics (e.g. overweight) play an important role.
In order to best treat children, it is necessary to conduct drug trials in children.
When conducting drug trials in children, the most important thing is to ensure that we do not harm the child in any way or cause them additional ailments.
The Estonian Pediatric Research Network (ELAV) was created to mediate pediatric research taking place worldwide to Estonian patients, monitor good practices in conducting research, and assist researchers in compiling documentation.
ELAV cooperates closely and effectively with the pan-European pediatric research network c4c (conect4children – Collaborative Network for European Clinical Trials for Children).
The ID-EPTRI (European Paediatric Translational Research Infrastructure) and PedCRIN (Paediatric Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) projects have been carried out in Europe to better organize pediatric research.
Within the framework of these projects, great attention has been paid to the ethical aspects of children's research, the necessary methods and tools have been developed, and researchers have been trained.
Our researchers are experienced specialists who are dedicated to their work. Before the start of the study, the researchers thoroughly introduce the parents to what awaits them during the study, and the permission to conduct the study is signed in writing by the parent (and the child, depending on age).