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How to Find a Clinical Trial That’s Right For You – Part 1

While a clinical trial is not without risks, if you are living with a chronic health condition, at some point you may want to consider participating in one. Only you and your doctors can decide if a specific clinical trial is right for you or a loved one you care for. But if you feel your current treatment program is not fully treating your condition, or not adequately addressing certain symptoms; you may want to research what studies are currently seeking participants. If you’re interested in a clinical trial, here are some suggested steps:

DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR DOCTOR – Your doctor may know of a specific trial they’d recommend for you, or they may suggest a certain type of treatment they feel you’d have the best chance of success with, or even suggest what to avoid. You’ll also want to do your own research. As you do, be sure to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your doctor about any studies you’re considering.

START YOUR RESEARCH – A good place to start is to learn more about clinical trials in general. What defines a clinical trial, and what are the risks and rewards? What questions should you ask of those conducting the study? How are participants chosen? What is meant by terms like “informed consent,” “placebo,” “control group,” and “double-blind?” RESOURCES - Following are some good sources of general information about clinical trials:

• http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/ct/clinicaltrials.htm
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/clinicaltrials.html
• http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/info/understand
• FDA Office of Special Health Issues, Clinical Trials and Drug Development: 301-827-4460

In addition to actively searching for clinical trials, you can also let your computer do some of the work for you and deliver information to you about clinical trials that meet your criteria. Our next post will provide some ideas for how to do this.

What other information would you like to know about clinical trials? Have you ever used the sites mentioned above? Please tell us about your experience in the comments section.