“Saying yes changes lives.” “Be Involved.” “Do You Have Type-2 Diabetes?”
Over the course of your life, you’ve probably seen all kinds of advertisements asking for your participation in clinical trials. If you’re like most people, you likely didn’t pay them much attention. So now that you’re actually considering being part of a clinical trial, the obvious question keeps popping into your head: “What’s in it for me?”
Fair enough. After all, if you’re going to devote your time and energy to a clinical trial, you should know what you’re going to get out of it and what the point of it all is.
At Research Centers of America, we have conducted countless clinical trials over the years, and we offer a variety of benefits to those who participate.
You Gain Access to Medications and Treatments Before the General Public
The number one requirement of all new treatments and medicines is that they be safe. Because of this, there are all kinds of hoops that medical and pharmaceutical companies must jump through in order to bring a product to market. All told, it can take years and years of research and testing before they receive approval.
Think about what that means, though. If you take part in a clinical trial, you will be gaining access to potentially amazing treatments way before everyone else. For people who are struggling with a particular disease or medical condition where nothing currently available seems to help, joining a clinical trial can be a godsend if the treatment works. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but the chance at help is sometimes worth it.
You Receive Medical Care at a Top-Flight Facility Throughout the Trial
Beyond being able to use new and potentially beneficial drugs and treatments, joining a clinical trial also means that you will receive the very best medical care at a prestigious facility with experienced, knowledgeable staff members.
If you are someone who doesn’t have the best (or any) insurance plan, this kind of medical attention can be incredibly helpful in dealing with your condition – as well as improving your overall health.
You Help Others by Contributing to Medical Research
There is only one way to advance medicine and reach a future where we can help more people and eliminate more diseases and debilitating conditions – research and testing. No matter what the outcome of the specific clinical trial you join, your participation will be incredibly valuable in providing researchers with information to move forward.
Hopefully that information will be that the treatment was successful, and it can be used to benefit people around the country and the world. Even if the treatment does not work, though, that information is helpful in showing what didn’t work and pushing research in a different direction.
You Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat
Having a debilitating medical condition or disease can make you feel frustrated and powerless. You may feel hamstrung by what your insurance allows, or even by the advice that doctors have given you.
Joining a clinical trial gives you back some of that control. You must take the initiative to seek out a trial that fits your needs. You decide to participate. You choose to see it through to the end – or not.
Rather than wait for insurance or doctor approval, you get to take action.
You Get Paid
While the monetary benefits of being a clinical trial participant typically won’t replace the need for a regular job, you will be paid for the time you spend and any travel expenses you incur.
Some trials may even agree to pay for the entirety of your medical care during the course of the trial, but this is not standard. Never assume that you are going to receive a particular monetary benefit unless you are specifically told that it is part of the package.
Interested in learning more about the current clinical trials RCA has available? Want to see if we have anything coming up that fits your needs? Get in touch with our office and we’ll be happy to tell you more.