By Julie Carrico, MBA, CCRC
On occasion, a patient who is approached about participating in a clinical trial will immediately decline without taking the time to find out what it’s all about. The following is what I wish I could tell them before they have made up their mind.
- Clinical trial volunteers are respected and taken care of. Laws and guidelines are in place to protect them. Volunteers must participate in a thorough Informed Consent process to make sure they understand the study.
- Our staff must complete rigorous testing to be qualified to even work on the study.
- If the clinical trial is for a serious or life-threatening disease, there will not be a placebo treatment group. Every patient will receive the minimum standard of care because withholding treatment to those who need it is not ethical. Patients are informed if the study will have a placebo group.
- Volunteers may withdraw from a study at any time, for any reason.
- Participants continue to see their regular doctor(s) during the study.
- There is no cost to participate in a clinical trial. In fact, in a previous blog we describe that there is usually a stipend. Insurance will never be billed for a clinical-trial expense.
Every trial is not for everybody. Before automatically declining to participate, take a few moments to think about the study information and perhaps ask a question or two. You might end up being glad you did, as was this former volunteer:
“Initially I was a little hesitant to take part in a research program, but I believe that was simply because I was in unfamiliar territory. From the start I was put at ease by a wonderful staff and each part of the process was explained in a way that was easily understood. I can say that I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate.” – Valerie Coomes Clinical Research participant
The Clinical Research Center is currently seeking volunteer patients in studies for meningococcal vaccine, Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, and those with very high triglyceride levels.
If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials, contact the Clinical Research Center at 541-766-2163, or send an email to research@corvallisclinic.com or fill out our Research Study Information Request form. And, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/corvallisclinicresearch.
– Julie Carrico is Associate Coordinator of The Corvallis Clinic Clinical Research Center
