Patient Motivators for Participating in Clinical Trials

People participate in a clinical trial for several different reasons. Healthy volunteers participate to help others and contribute to moving science forward.
Participants suffering from illnesses or diseases also participate to help others and possibly receive the latest treatment and have additional care from the clinical trial team.

Clinical trials offer hope for people and the community and an opportunity to aid researchers in finding better treatments to help future patients.

Thousands of volunteers enroll each day in state-of-the-art medical studies. Knowing these patients' motivations could help you make the right decision and get involved.

Motivation 1: Clinical Research Provide Better Medical Care

Clinical research trial volunteers will learn about their condition, its symptoms, and its treatment options. In some situations, participants can receive a diagnosis of their symptoms by undergoing diagnostic testing and evaluation by a doctor. This can provide relief to people who have been struggling with the difficulties of an unknown illness and can open avenues for them to seek help and treatment.

Clinical trial participation allows doctors to decide how to best treat patients. It is what makes the further development of new medicines, new procedures, and new tools possible.

Without the help of clinical trials, we would not be able to determine if new treatments are better than current treatments. It is how doctors find the most effective methods of care for patients.

Motivation 2: Access to Specialized Medical Care

Research participation may give you access to cutting-edge treatments and medical innovation at no cost; therefore, your general health may improve. In addition to studying the effectiveness of a treatment, researchers may also be investigating other aspects of care to improve the quality of life for people with chronic illness.

Phase I clinical trials involve testing drugs or treatment methods to ensure general safety. In Phase II clinical trials, the aim is to determine if the drug or treatment method is effective. They are usually done with a relatively small group of subjects with the same conditions. They may be randomized to receive different doses or routes of administration.

Phase III trials involve much larger numbers of people. They are used to determine if the new drug or treatment method is as safe and efficient as the current standard treatment. Study participants in Phase III trials all have the medical condition the new treatment targets. They are usually randomized to receive the investigative drug and the current standard treatment or the standard treatment alone. Therefore, not all patients will receive the new treatment unless the trial has a cross-over design.

Before deciding to participate in Phase III clinical trials, it is important to understand that these types of trials require focus groups to determine whether the drug can benefit (or harm) patients. So, there will be a chance that you will be randomized to the control arm of the trial so that you don't actually receive the new treatment.

Many patients like the extra health care they receive during a study. Patients involved in clinical studies are carefully monitored and cared for by both the medical staff and the research team helping with their overall care.

Motivation 3: Frequent Appointments for Clinical Trial Participants

Each study varies in the time commitment needed from the patients.

The time commitment of every study is determined by the protocol, which outlines study-specific visits and procedures.

For several studies, screening appointments tend to be one of the longest appointment durations. They usually take around 2 hours, depending on the study. During the screening appointment, the volunteer will read the informed consent, which outlines the study details.

During the informed consent process, the research coordinator motivates patients to ask questions about the study, and the coordinator will ensure that the volunteer fully understands the details of the trial.

If healthy subjects volunteer, a study coordinator will further assess the qualification based on the study protocol’s inclusion and exclusion criteria.

If you are the right fit, you move forward with the trial procedures that usually require bloodwork, physicals, and questionnaires.

Depending on the study, you may undergo a screening period (usually around 1 month), or you may receive the study drug at your initial visit. Follow-up visits can vary based on what is required at each visit. Follow-up appointments typically range from 30 minutes to 1 hour in length.

Motivation 4: No Waiting Times

People who participate in qualitative research trials help in shaping the future of healthcare. They are helping our researchers turn their results into better treatments, shorter wait times, and less pain for our patients.

Patients recruited to participate in medical trials will have access to doctors without waiting for an appointment.

No waiting to be contacted; you can make immediate inquiries within the trial location.

Motivation 5: Payment for Participation in Clinical Trials

Human subjects will be compensated for their time and participation in the study. Compensation is based on factors such as the length of the study, the number of overnight stays in our clinic, the number of outpatient visits, and the number of scheduled phone calls completed.

Payment details will be discussed with your clinical study team on your first visit.

Call Santos Research if you are interested in enrolling in a Clinical Trial

Enroll in our open research studies and join us in helping future patients at Santos Research Center, Corp. now!

At Santos Research Center, Corp., we have completed over 400 clinical trials. We make use of efficient and reliable systems to plan and manage quality medical research studies.

For more information about our ongoing clinical studies patient recruitment, you may visit us at www.santosresearch.com.

If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, call us at (813) 249-9100.