FAQs

What are clinical trials?
Before any medication is made available to patients, it must go through a rigorous clinical trial process. Clinical trials seek to determine the safety and efficacy of new drugs by answering questions like:

Does this treatment work as well as or better than existing medications?
Which patients does this treatment help the most?
Does this treatment have any side effects?

Every medical breakthrough starts in a clinical trial. Therefore, clinical trial participants play a critical role in advancing medicine for everybody.

What are the benefits and risks of participating in a clinical trial?
By participating in a clinical trial, you may benefit by:

• Gaining access to new treatments that are not yet available to the public

• Obtaining compensation for time and travel, if available

• Playing an active role in your own health care

• Helping others by contributing to medical research

There are also risks involved in clinical trials:

• There may be side effects from treatment

• Treatment may not be effective for some individuals

• The study may require time for traveling to the study site and receiving treatments

(CISCRP 2015)

How do I join a clinical trial?
If you are interested in a clinical trial opportunity sent to you, you can sign up for the trial in a secure form online for that trial. At that time you will receive a confirmation of your submission and this page will also provide you with a phone number to contact the research site’s staff.

Before you join a trial, you will be asked to sign a legal document. This document will outline your participation in the trial, and signing it gives your consent to be enrolled in the study. Your study doctors will review this document with you and answer any questions you have about its contents.

Your participation in a trial is voluntary. If you decide to participate, you may change your mind about being in the study, and may quit at any time without penalty or loss of benefits regarding your future care.

Does a participant continue to work with a primary healthcare provider while in a trial?
Yes. Most clinical trials provide short-term treatments related to a designated illness or condition, but do not provide extended or complete primary health care.

How is my safety considered when participating in a trial?
The safety of participants is the most important concern in clinical research studies. Protecting the safety of people who take part in clinical trials is a high priority for clinical researchers throughout a study. Every trial has scientific oversight, and patients also have rights that help protect them.