After volunteering for a clinical trial you’ll go through a series of steps to ensure you match the requirements and to help you make an educated decision about proceeding.
The research team will first schedule an appointment to learn more about you and provide more details about the trial. This includes the trial’s purpose, the potential benefits and risks, the length of your participation, and an overview of the procedures. Not everyone will be eligible to join the study and your participation could end at this point if you do not qualify.
Family decisions about children and healthcare can be extremely delicate. While the reasons and steps for enrolling your child in a study are similar to enrolling yourself, it’s understandable there may be a deeper level of anxiety.
Due to the wide variety of interventions and conditions, all trials have different timelines. Before enrolling, the research team will outline the specific amount of time you will be participating. It could be only a few months or a few years, depending on the condition, intervention duration, and study requirements.
In general, trial participants do not pay extra out-of-pocket costs for an intervention in a clinical trial. However, there are still routine patient care costs and coverage varies between insurance plans. Some participants may be responsible for copays and payments toward a deductible. And trials do not always cover expenses like travel, housing, transportation, parking, or meals. You will learn more about these factors during pre-trial screening.
Due to the many differences in insurance plans across the country, coverage in clinical trials can vary. You will learn more about your options during pre-trial screening.
During any trial, side effects may occur and identifying them is an important part of the intervention approval process. Your study team will closely monitor any side effects and you always have the option to leave the trial at any time.
As with all medical records, participant privacy and confidentiality in trials are protected by law. The data participants contribute to a study is completely anonymous, and your personal information will never be disclosed.