A fresh ClinicalTrials.gov date can lead an ENT desk to a hearing, sinus or sleep study. Before reporting it, identify which milestone changed. The registry, maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), separates record posting, recruitment and summary results. None alone establishes clinical benefit.
First posted identifies when a study record became public after NLM quality-control review. Study start date concerns enrollment of the first participant; an estimated start is a projection. Those dates answer different questions about a study’s history.
Last update submitted dates the sponsor’s or investigator’s submission of changes. Last update posted dates their public availability. A delay can separate them. Inspect the changed fields before describing an update as new recruitment or new evidence.
Recruiting indicates that participants are being sought. Active, not recruiting describes an ongoing study that is no longer enrolling participants. Completed denotes a normal end, including the last participant’s last visit. These labels do not establish favorable outcomes.
Results first submitted dates the initial summary-results submission. Results first posted concerns public availability after NLM quality-control review concludes. A separate field, results first posted with QC comments, can be earlier: it identifies public results accompanied by major issues that the sponsor or investigator must address. Public visibility alone is not evidence that all QC issues have been resolved.
NLM’s review addresses apparent errors, deficiencies and inconsistencies. Its glossary says staff do not verify scientific validity or relevance. The disclaimer makes sponsors or investigators responsible for study safety, science and accuracy; the U.S. government does not review or approve every listed study’s safety and science. Registry inclusion is not scientific endorsement.
Source note: This independent explainer was prepared from ClinicalTrials.gov reference pages reviewed October 14, 2026. The glossary displays a September 10, 2026 update; the disclaimer displays August 3, 2023. Original publication dates are unknown. These are reference-page dates, not study milestones. No study record, participant information or database extract is reproduced.
For ENT reporting, identify the exact study and changed field, preserve submission and posting dates, and distinguish participation status from results. Clinical conclusions require appraisal of the underlying evidence. This is a reporting method, not an assessment of an individual study.
Go to the source.
ClinicalTrials.gov: glossary terms ↗ClinicalTrials.gov: disclaimer and responsibilities ↗ClinicalTrials.gov: terms and conditions ↗This methods explainer describes public reference records. It does not establish study results, a product’s current authorization or treatment suitability.
