FAQ

Clinical research involves direct interaction with human volunteers and plays a crucial role in enabling doctors and researchers to discover new and more effective methods for understanding, detecting, controlling, and treating illnesses.

A protocol is a study plan on which all clinical trials are based. The plan is carefully designed to safeguard the health of the participants as well as answer specific research questions. A protocol describes what types of people may participate in the trial; the schedule of tests, procedures, medications, and dosages; and the length of the study. While in a clinical trial, participants following a protocol are seen regularly by the research staff to monitor their health and to determine the safety and effectiveness of their treatment.

A clinical trial is a research study where volunteers are assigned to one or more interventions to assess their effects on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.

Every clinical trial has specific eligibility criteria to ensure the right participants are selected, helping to gather accurate statistical data and achieve the study’s objectives. These criteria are also crucial for protecting participants by minimizing undue risk or coercion. Special populations, such as children, pregnant women, economically disadvantaged individuals, prisoners, and other vulnerable groups, require additional safety measures and ethical oversight to safeguard their well-being during the trial.

When you volunteer for a clinical trial, the first step involves receiving a detailed explanation of the study. This includes the tests and procedures you’ll undergo, the visits you need to attend, and both the potential risks and benefits of participating. If you choose to proceed, remember that you can withdraw from the study at any time. Throughout the trial, you’ll be required to complete only the visits and procedures initially outlined. The primary goal is to gather crucial data from your participation, which will aid researchers in advancing the study.

Without clinical trials, modern medications and treatments would simply not exist. Developing new, safe, and effective treatments requires rigorous testing, which is mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All medical treatments must undergo a thorough examination to verify their efficacy and safety. Volunteers in clinical trials play a crucial role, offering a valuable service that helps researchers push medical science forward and enhance healthcare for future generations.

Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.

Plan ahead and write down possible questions to ask. Ask a friend or relative to come along for support and to hear the responses to the questions. Bring a recording device to record the discussion to replay later.

People should know as much as possible about the clinical trial and feel comfortable asking the members of the health care team questions about it, the care expected while in a trial, and the cost of the trial. The following questions might be helpful for the participant to discuss with the health care team. Some of the answers to these questions are found in the informed consent document.

What is the purpose of the study?

Who is going to be in the study?

Why do researchers believe the new treatment being tested may be effective?

Has it been tested before?

What kinds of tests and treatments are involved?

How do the possible risks, side effects, and benefits in the study compare with my current treatment?

How might this trial affect my daily life?

How long will the trial last?

Who will pay for the treatment?

Will I be reimbursed for other expenses?

What type of long-term follow up care is part of this study?

How will I know that the treatment is working?

Will results of the trials be provided to me?

Who will be in charge of my care?

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. In addition, by having the health care provider work with the research team, the participant can ensure that other medications or treatments will not conflict with the protocol.

Side effects are any undesired actions or effects of drug or treatment. Negative or adverse effects may include headache, nausea, skin irritation, or other physical problems. Experimental treatments must be evaluated for both immediate and long-term side effects.

Clinical trials that are well-designed and well-executed are the best treatment approach for eligible participants to:

• Play an active role in their own health care. Gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available.
• Obtain expert medical care at leading health care facilities during the trial.
• Help others by contributing to medical research.
• There are risks to participating in a clinical trial.
• There may be unpleasant, serious or even life-threatening side effects to treatment.
• The treatment may not be effective for the participant.
• The protocol may require more of their time and attention than would a non-protocol treatment, including trips to the study site, more treatments, or complex dosage requirements.

The ethical and legal codes that govern medical practice also apply to clinical trials. In addition, most clinical research is federally regulated with built in safeguards to protect the participants. The trial follows a carefully controlled protocol, a study plan which details what researchers will do in the study. As a clinical trial progresses, researchers report the results of the trial at scientific meetings, to medical journals, and to various government agencies. Individual participants’ names will remain secret and will not be mentioned in these reports. Every clinical trial in the U.S. must be approved and monitored by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to make sure the risks are as low as possible and are worth any potential benefits. An IRB is an independent committee of physicians, statisticians, community advocates, and others that ensures that a clinical trial is ethical and the rights of study participants are protected. All institutions that conduct or support biomedical research involving people must, by federal regulation, have an IRB that initially approves and periodically reviews the research.

Yes. A participant can leave a clinical trial, at any time. When withdrawing from the trial, the participant should let the research team know about it, and the reasons for leaving the study.

Ideas for clinical trials usually come from researchers. After researchers test new therapies or procedures in the laboratory and in animal studies, the treatments with the most promising laboratory results are moved into clinical trials. During a trial, more and more information is gained about a new treatment, its risks and how well it may or may not work.

Clinical trials are sponsored or funded by a variety of organizations or individuals such as physicians, medical institutions, foundations, voluntary groups, and pharmaceutical companies, in addition to federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). Trials can take place in a variety of locations, such as hospitals, universities, doctors’ offices, or community clinics.

Informed consent is the process of learning the key facts about a clinical trial before deciding whether or not to participate. It is also a continuing process throughout the study to provide information for participants. To help someone decide whether or not to participate, the doctors and research staff involved in the trial explain the details of the study. Then the research team provides an informed consent document that includes details about the study, such as its purpose, duration, required procedures, and key contacts. Risks and potential benefits are explained in the informed consent document. The participant then decides whether or not to sign the document. Informed consent is not a contract, and the participant may withdraw from the trial at any time.

A placebo is an inactive pill, liquid, or powder that has no treatment value. In clinical trials, experimental treatments are often compared with placebos to assess the treatment’s effectiveness. In some studies, the participants in the control group will receive a placebo instead of an active drug or treatment.

A control is the standard by which experimental observations are evaluated. In many clinical trials, one group of patients will be given an experimental drug or treatment, while the control group is given either a standard treatment for the illness or a placebo. *Source: clinicaltrials.gov

Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases – each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase I:
Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.

Phase II:
The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.

Phase III:
The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.

Phase IV:
Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug’s effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.

(Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/ctphases.html)