Is a clinical trial right for me?
Questions to ask when thinking about taking part in a clinical trial
Facts about the study
- What is the purpose of the study?
- Who is running the study?
- Who is paying for the study?
- Who has reviewed and approved the study?
- Who reviews the results?
- What treatments may I receive
- Does the study use a placebo (dummy treatment)?
- Why do doctors believe this new treatment may work?
- How will safety be monitored?
- How will the results be shared?
- How will the study keep my name and records private?
Risks and benefits
- What are the possible short-term benefits?
- What are the possible long-term benefits?
- What are the short-term risks, such as side effects?
- What are the possible long-term risks?
- What other options for treatment do I have?
- How do the pros and cons of my other options compare with those of the study?
What the treatment will involve
- How long does the trial last?
- How often do I need to come to the clinic?
- How many times a day will I have to take the drug?
- What other things do I need to do?
- How is the drug given – as a pill, in a shot, or in another way?
- What tests do I need to take?
- Am I able to see all my test results?
- Who treats me in the study?
- Do I see the same doctor or nurse each time?
- Can I keep seeing my own doctor?
- Where will I be treated after the study?
- What happens if the treatment makes my health worse?
- If I take a drug that helps me, can I keep taking it after the study is over?
Personal issues and support
- Can I talk with people already enrolled in the study before I decide to take part?
- How could being in the study affect my daily live?
- What support is available for me and my family?
- Does a social worker (or other trained person) provide support and help me deal with problems?
Costs
- What costs are covered by the trial?
- What other costs can I expect?
- What help with costs is available?
Questions to ask yourself
- Is helping to find better treaments important to me?
- Can I accept the changes a trial may make in my daily life?
- Am I committed enough to
- Take the drug as often as I should?
- Go to the clinic as needed?
- Stick with the trial as long as it lasts?
- Am I willing to follow all of a trial’s policies?
- Are the pros of taking part greater than the cons?
- Do I have the support of my friends and family?
Based on AIDS clinical trials: Talking it Over NIH and Facts About Clinical Trials in Vision Research, National Eye Institute