If you’re interested in helping contribute to scientific advancement or want to try new treatments for your condition, clinical trials may be right for you. Clinical trials offer an opportunity to participate in research on new treatments to help prevent, detect, or treat diseases.
At Clinical Research Partners we’re always looking for new participants for clinical trials and research. Please read the information below to see if participating in a clinical trial may be right for you.
Clinical research refers to studies in which people participate as patients or healthy volunteers. Different terms are used to describe clinical research, including:
Clinical trials are a kind of clinical research designed to evaluate and test new interventions such as psychotherapy or medications. Clinical trials are often conducted in four phases. The trials at each phase have a different purpose and help scientists answer different questions.
Researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time. The researchers evaluate the treatment’s safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
The experimental drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
The experimental study drug or treatment is given to large groups of people. Researchers confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the experimental drug or treatment to be used safely.
Post-marketing studies, which are conducted after a treatment is approved for use by the FDA, provide additional information including the treatment or drug’s risks, benefits, and best use.
Without research volunteers medicine cannot advance and develop. As a research volunteer you are critical to the future of medicine, and the health of future generations. Most studies involve compensation for your time and travel.
Informed consent ensures participants understand a clinical trial's purpose, procedures, risks, and voluntary nature before agreeing to partake.
As new medical products are being developed, no one knows for sure how well they will work, or what risks they will find. Clinical trials are used to answer questions such as:
The main purpose of clinical trials is to “study” new medical products in people. It is important for people who are considering participation in a clinical trial to understand their role, as a “subject of research” and not as a patient.
While research subjects may get personal treatment benefit from participating in a clinical trial, they must understand that they:
To make an informed decision about whether to participate or not in a clinical trial, people need to be informed about:
This information is provided to potential participants through the informed consent process. Informed consent means that the purpose of the research is explained to them, including what their role would be and how the trial will work.
A central part of the informed consent process is the informed consent document. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not dictate the specific language required for the informed consent document, but does require certain basic elements of consent be included.