What is clinical research?
Clinical research helps researchers learn more about people, their health, and illnesses they may have. There are different types of clinical research, and clinical trials are one of them.
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are research studies that test new medicines or treatment to see how they affect a disease or condition. Clinical trials can also be called “trials” or “studies”.
Is participation in a study voluntary?
Yes! Taking part in a study is a decision that is always your choice. You can decide not to join or leave the trial after it starts. Your care will still remain the same.
What happens if I decide not to join a study or leave a study after it starts?
Your care will remain the same. Leaving a study will not affect the medical care you receive now or later if you leave a study. If you want to leave a study, talk to your study doctor first.
What happens in a study?
A study tests new ways to care for patients, new medicines or other ways to prevent illnesses. These studies explore if the new ways being tested are safe and effective. The studies help researchers find out if there is a different or better way to care for or treat a patient.
Who can join a study?
Each study includes specific criteria (called inclusion and exclusion criteria) about who can join. These criteria may include age, gender, medical history, or the disease being studied.
Why are studies important? Why should I join a study?
Clinical trials, or studies, help us learn more about health and illness. Studying health and illness helps us learn more about different or better ways to care for patients. Certain illnesses effect some people differently than others, so it is important to have a diverse group in a study. This allows us to apply the results of the study to a bigger group of people. Studies have helped us create medicines like pain relivers, treatments for heart disease and learn more about other diseases like cancer.
What should I think about before joining a study?
Before you decide, it is important that you understand what the study is about, what you will be asked to do, and what the possible risks and benefits are. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you are interested so you can decide if joining a study is the right choice for you.
Do I need to have a disease or medical condition to take part in a clinical trial?
Not necessarily. Some studies include healthy volunteers who help researchers learn more about certain diseases or conditions.
What is an investigational drug or device?
A new medicine being tested may be called an investigational drug, study drug, study medicine, or test medicine. A new device being tested may be called an investigational device, device, or study device. These drugs or devices can be used in studies to see how safe they are or how well they work to help with an illness or group of people. By testing drugs or devices, it will help researchers find out if there is a different or better way to care for or treat a patient.
What is a placebo?
A placebo looks like a study drug but does not contain any of the study ingredients. A placebo can also be called a “sugar pill.” Not all studies use a placebo. If a placebo is being used in a study you will know and is decided by chance (randomized), like the flip or a coin or picking a name out of a hat.