Clinical Trials
Innovative Clinical Research
Medical researchers are always coming up with new treatments and medications to treat diseases. At a certain point in the testing procedure, the research reaches a point where it can be given to human patients. However, these treatments have not yet been fully tested and, while research is promising, it cannot be confirmed that the treatment will be more effective than the current standard of care. This is where clinical trials come in.
What Is a Clinical Trial?
Clinical trials allow patients the chance to participate in cutting-edge treatments or therapies that may prove to be the best method of curing or managing their condition. We participate in prestigious medical and surgical research trials that provide patients access to promising new treatments. While we only participate in trials that have the highest chances of success, there are risks involved. Participation in clinical trials is completely voluntary and may be a valuable option to a patient who has had little success in their treatment thus far.
Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial?
Participating in an experimental medical treatment may sound intimidating, yet there is a reason so many patients agree to them. Not only does participating help to advance medical science as a whole, but the treatment could make much more headway in fighting your condition than the methods currently available. For ethical reasons, medical professionals do not offer clinical trials to patients who already have an effective treatment method available. For instance, if you had cancer and were responding well to chemotherapy, it would be irresponsible and dangerous for a doctor to offer you participation in a clinical trial. Alternatively, if none of your cancer treatments had yielded much success, the doctor may inform you of the clinical trial and ask if you would like to participate in the new form of treatment.
Before agreeing to a clinical trial, there are a few things you should confirm:
- Have I exhausted all other methods of treatment?
- What, exactly, will the clinical trial involve?
- What results have the trials yielded so far?
- What kind of side effects have patients experienced from the treatment?
- What are the chances this treatment could do more harm than good?
- Will I need to make extra trips to the hospital for blood tests, checkups, etc. if I participate?
Our staff will be more than happy to answer any of your questions about a clinical trial you are interested in. We participate in clinical trials for virtually every medical area, including oncology, gynecology, pulmonology, cardiology and more.