By: Amber Walter, PT, DPT, NCS
The most common question I received as a physical therapist helping to recruit patients for clinical trials was “Will this help me?” When I was asked to participate in a women’s health clinical trial, I considered the same question. Unfortunately, when you’re asked to participate in research, the answer will likely be “We don’t know.” Clinical research is only one part of a process to answer questions about the unknown or unestablished effectiveness of health care. Until we engage in research, we truly can’t answer the question “Will this help me?”
During my participation in a clinical trial, I was able to learn first-hand about the process surrounding medical discoveries. I also gained an understanding of how to advocate for my health and learned to ask more questions about the risks involved in different medical treatments. Participation in research was incredibly beneficial to me personally. To help you learn more about research participation, we’ve compiled a list of five reasons to participate in research.
You may be contributing to new medical discoveries for society. Even if the clinical trial doesn’t have a direct benefit to you during or after the study period, you will help scientists and researchers learn more about the topic they’re studying. Greater understanding over time will benefit those looking for new or better treatments. In fact, many of today’s normalized, effective treatments were once just research proposals.
You will likely learn more about a health condition or general health care that you didn’t know before. Study teams often have additional educational resources to share with you, and interaction with the study team brings another perspective to your health that can be interesting and exciting.
Your participation is a way to be more active in taking care of yourself. If you’ve decided that a clinical trial is right for you, you may receive treatments before they are widely available. You can also provide valuable information to scientists working to understand a health condition you have.
You may be monitored more frequently because of your participation. Research participation often includes measurements during a study period, and you are likely to have different assessments completed more frequently than you may receive in routine care.
You may be compensated financially for your participation. Although your participation is a personal decision based on the benefits and risks of a study, this can be a nice, immediate reward even if there are no immediate health-related benefits for your participation.
Want to know more about research participation?
To learn more about research initiatives at Sheltering Arms Institute, visit our research and education page.