WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A CLINICAL STUDY?
The process of participating in a clinical study depends on the type of research being conducted. A team, also known as site staff, for a given clinical trial might include doctors, nurses, social workers, and other specialized healthcare professionals. The role of the site staff is to check your health at the beginning of the clinical trial, provide specific instructions and guidance for what to do during the trial, watch over your health throughout the trial and make sure that the study is followed.
Based on your condition, some clinical studies involve more diagnostic tests and doctor visits than you might initially expect. The tests and visits help the site staff ensure that your health and safety are monitored carefully.
How To Become A Clinical Study Participant
If you are interested in being considered for clinical study opportunities, follow the simple steps below to register:
- Complete the clinical study participant form to add your name to our database of potential study participants.
- If you filled out the form and are registered in our database, a member of the study staff will contact you when a clinical study matching your criteria (based on the information you provided) is enrolling participants.
- If you are interested in participating in clinical studies, you will go through a pre-screening process to make sure you qualify for the study. This usually involves a series of questions related to your health, the medications you take, and possibly your lifestyle.
- If, after pre-screening, you are determined to be eligible to participate in the clinical study, the site staff conducting the study will provide you more details about your participation and answer any questions you may have. They will also ask you to review and sign an informed consent document.
Required Physical Exams, Medical Assessments And Tests
To determine if you meet all the requirements for a clinical study, a physical examination is usually conducted during the screening process. This exam may include:
All the information obtained during the screening process is kept secure. If you qualify for the clinical study, you will be contacted by the site staff to schedule any trial-related clinic visits and discuss your participation in more detail. Your participation is completely voluntary. So, even if you decide to enroll in a clinical study, you are free to leave the trial at any time, for any reason.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a clinical study?
In order to understand what a clinical study is, one must understand how medications are developed. Pharmaceutical companies employ teams of scientists to develop and research new compounds to treat an array of diseases and conditions. After the initial laboratory testing is complete and the new compound has passed preliminary safety and efficacy testing in the lab, the pharmaceutical company files an application to the FDA to begin Phase I clinical trials. The average time a new medication takes from the beginning of a Phase I trial to FDA approval is approximately 12 to 14 years.
A clinical study is a process by which pharmaceutical companies test the safety and efficacy of new medications. There are four phases to every clinical study: