Asking More Questions
Talking With Your Doctor About Clinical Trials
You may have heard about clinical trials and studies in the news, or you might be interested in how you can be part of advancing medical science. As an active partner with your doctor in your health care, talk with your doctor about your interest in participating in clinical research. Research studies that involve people are typically of two types: an observational study where scientists simply make measurements of people in everyday life, or a clinical trial where researchers test a medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention.
Safety, Benefits, and Risks of Clinical Trials
Nearly everyone 18 years or older can participate in clinical research. Researchers need participants who represent all races and ethnicities, genders, geographic locations, and sexual orientations.
The benefits of participating in a clinical trial may include:
* Having a more active role in your own health care
* Being treated for a disease before treatment is available to everyone else
* Helping others get a better treatment for their health problems
* Having more medical care and more frequent health check-ups as part of your treatment
* Getting more information about support groups and other resources
Researchers must follow strict rules enforced by the federal government to make sure every clinical trial participant is safe. Before a trial can begin, the detailed study plan is carefully reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board made up of doctors, scientists, and people like you who make sure study participants are safe, and potential risks are as low as possible. Each trial participant reviews the study plan with a member of the research team so they know what to expect and what may happen during the trial. This is called the“ informed consent process” and it helps protect each participant.
The risks of participating in a clinical trial may include:
* Having serious or uncomfortable side effects from a treatment
* Finding the treatment has no effect or is no better than a standard treatment
* Being inconvenienced by many medical appointments, travel to the study site, or hospitalizations
If you decide to participate in a clinical trial, you may leave the trial at any time and for any reason. Your personal and health information will be kept private.
Talking With Your Doctor 21