Participating in a clinical trial might be exactly what you need. Here’s where to start.

Hundreds of clinical trials are run across the US every year. These trials are crucial to new treatment and personalized medicine development, gathering key information about safety and treatment effectiveness for a wide range of diseases and health conditions. All medical treatments, from the familiar aspirin to chemotherapy drugs, must go through clinical trials. And increasingly, patients are actively considering participating in trials as part of their treatment. Here’s why:

Why should you participate in a clinical trial?

If you’re looking to explore other treatment options, it may be worth considering taking part in a clinical trial. Each trial is likely to have unique goals from the study that could be relevant to you. However, one thing that remains consistent is that in whatever trial or study you participate in, you’ll benefit from receiving the close attention of the clinicians and researchers involved. They will be monitoring your health and progress throughout the trial, with your safety being their top focus.

Here are some reasons you may consider taking part in a clinical trial:

• You may be offered a different treatment option not normally available to you. This could give you the chance to receive a developmental drug that you can’t get outside the trial.
• You could help both yourself and researchers get a better understanding of your health condition.
• You can support scientific progress that may provide help and hope for future patients with similar conditions.
• The treatment and care you receive are given at no cost to you, and you may even receive financial support in some trials.

These are just a few examples and there are many other potential benefits, and risks, to volunteering for a study.

There are four different phases of a clinical trial, and there may be different requirements for participation at each stage. The stages of a clinical trial are called phases, each with different objectives that help researchers to determine whether the developmental therapeutic is safe and effective.

But how do you actually go about participating in a clinical trial? The process may seem daunting at first, but there is a wealth of information (sometimes too much information!) available. Your healthcare provider can also help you understand your options, answer your questions and address any concerns you might have about considering this as an option for your care. Below are five different ways to find a clinical trial, how to determine if the trial is right for you and the steps to get you started.

Finding a clinical trial

The internet is a valuable resource in helping you find a potentially suitable clinical trial but can be overwhelming during your search for more information. Depending on your condition, you can find clinical trials in several ways including:

Online databases

There are huge databases like the Clinical Trials Database, which is maintained by the National Institute of Health. These databases are simple to use. By searching your medical condition, it will show you clinical trials relevant to you – you can also look by area to find trials that are local to you.

Disease-specific charities and institutes

Many charities and institutes focus on particular conditions and have databases for finding relevant clinical trials. For example, the National Cancer Institute has a database of all the clinical trials they financially support, which investigate potential treatments for cancer. Their database is easy to search based on your cancer type, age, and zip code.

You can also speak to charities that support your condition to see if they are aware of any suitable clinical trials for you.

Patient advocacy groups

Patient advocacy groups are support networks for patients with a particular condition. They may be run by patients themselves who are experiencing your condition, or professionals who work very closely with patients like you. As well as supporting you, these groups can help you find relevant clinical trials.

Your healthcare provider

Your healthcare provider may be aware of clinical trials that could be suitable for you. Have a conversation with your doctor to learn more about potential opportunities.

Identify if a clinical trial may be suitable for you

The aim of clinical trials is to investigate how safe and effective a potential new treatment option is. Researchers may be looking for developmental drugs to treat a disease, or they may be looking at potential treatments to reduce side effects and improve quality of life. Each clinical trial will be run for a different purpose, and it is important to check that their desired outcomes match your treatment goals.

To learn more about if the trial is suitable for you, ask the researchers questions about the purpose of the trial. Gather as much information as you can from your healthcare provider and any other resources you are given. For example, how long does the trial run for? You can also apply to the trial to learn more about it – this doesn’t commit you to signing up.

The research study website, if there is one available, may have some useful information. Information about clinical trials may be in technical language that you may be unfamiliar with. This is not meant to put you off – anyone can participate in trials. Discuss the trial with your healthcare provider if you are unsure of anything.

Clinical trial developers are looking to make trials more accessible to participants. Your personal circumstances will be different from other participants, and developers are working hard to understand the realities of what patients are going through.

To minimize the impact of the clinical trial on your life, there are now options to work with your local healthcare centers to make the trial easier to attend. For example, community hospital site activation programs enable you to continue working with your own doctor at your own hospital. Home visits can also be possible, meaning you need to travel less.

Check your eligibility

If you’ve found a trial you’re interested in, the next step is to check you’re eligible. Clinical trials will need you to meet certain criteria to be able to participate in their study. These can include factors such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Pre-existing conditions
• Current medications

Once you have found a clinical trial that interests you, check any highlighted conditions that you must meet. You should review these in detail to avoid any disappointment. Additionally, you can discuss these criteria with your doctor or the trial organizer if you are unclear whether you meet them.

Ask questions about the clinical trial

Participating in clinical trials is a highly personal choice. To get the answers you need to help you decide whether the trial is right for you or not:

• Contact the trial organizers directly. You can find contact details on the clinical trial pages for information on how to sign up. They can also answer any questions you may have.
• You can ask your doctor to speak to the trial organizers for you. Your doctor may be able to provide support and information for more technical questions about your diagnosis that you may not know or be as confident to answer.
• For any other questions or concerns you can ask your healthcare provider.

Unsure of what you might want or need to know? You can print these questions to ask as a guide to make sure you are fully comfortable with volunteering for the clinical trial.

Your support network can also help you to decide whether the trial is right for you. Reach out to your loved ones or community leaders for their advice. Once you feel informed, you can contact the trial organizer. At this stage, the organizer can confirm your eligibility and book a visit.

Participation is your choice

If you have any concerns or worries about participation, have a conversation with your healthcare provider and the trial organizers. They can answer your questions and help you to be fully informed before you volunteer for the study.

Remember that participating in a trial is completely voluntary. Even after signing a consent form, you can withdraw from the clinical trial at any point if you decide it isn’t right for you. Simply inform the trial organizer if you don’t wish to continue.