David Bernard is a board-certified nephrologist. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer at the CHEAR Center, and an Honorary Attending Physician at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center. Over his almost 50-year career, Dr. Bernard has held numerous clinical, executive and academic positions. Dr. David Bernard, MD, FACP, FRCP (UK), FCP (SA)
What is a Medical Research Study?
As you might know, a research study is a scientific way to improve or develop new methods – often within health care. If we are talking about medical studies, they are designed to answer specific questions on how to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases and disorders. Research studies can also be about different topics. No matter what the topic is, research studies are important because they contribute with new knowledge. Within clinical studies, many ways of treating diseases and disorders would not have been discovered if people had not been willing to participate in studies. So, if there is a specific topic you are very interested in or if you have a certain disorder, it can help develop science in this area. This can both help yourself immediately and it can also help science and people in the future.
Who Can Take Part in Paid Clinical Trials?
Now that it is clear what clinical trials are, who could be eligible to take part in them? Do they have tests, or could someone just sign up with these studies? Let’s talk more about that. We are all aware that every study has different rules about who can or cannot partake. Eligibility may depend on your age, gender, health, type of disease, treatment, history, and other conditions. Not everyone is lucky to be picked, and you can be rejected for certain reasons such as characteristics or simply didn’t meet the qualifications. Anyone who takes part in clinical trials is not forced and submit willingly on their own. They are what we call volunteers. Most of them have the same health conditions as diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and many more. Patient volunteers play a big role in determining the limits of the new treatment, who can be treated, or what illness it can cure. Find out more if you are eligible to participate and help our scientists find a cure and earn money on the side at the same time.
How To Sign Up For A Clinical Trial
Learn about clinical trials, what to expect, and why it’s a good idea to take part.
Clinical trials are one of the final steps for researchers working on medical research. Once a project moves into the clinical trial phase, the medication or medical device has been vetted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A common misconception about medical trials is that the doctors are experimenting on a patient without any guidelines or safety nets. This is untrue. Before anything is released to be tested on humans, it has gone through rigorous tests.
There are many reasons why you may want to take part in a clinical trial. Often leading-edge treatments come from these clinical trials and may improve your medical condition. Secondly, you become a part of the research team, in that you are going to be giving them feedback on the apparatus or medication. This, in turn, becomes incredibly crucial data that is used to improve or refine the medication or device. Your participation has a lasting impact, not only locally and personally, but potentially on a global scale.
The overall goal of a clinical trial is to evaluate a surgical, medical, or behavioral intervention. Often clinical trials are performed to refine and reduce the side effects of an existing medication or apparatus. Some clinical trials have as their goal prevention of a disease, ways to catch something early before it becomes debilitating.
One of the largest incentives for someone to participate in a clinical trial is because treatments received for a particular health problem have not been resolved using traditional means. Others participate because the health problem they face has no known cure. A clinical trial is one way to gain access to new medical treatments before they are available to the larger public. Without the willingness of volunteers to participate in clinical trials, major medical breakthroughs are not possible.
Each clinical trial is set up just a little differently, however there are some commonalities all studies share. First, you meet the research team who explain in significant detail what it is you are signing up for. They also gather information about you, your life, and your health. This is the time to ask any question you may have, and to voice any concerns. Most pre-screening sessions also determine whether you are a good fit for the clinical trial. Once this is over you are asked to sign a consent form that basically states that you are aware you are engaging in a clinical trial.
The next visit is often referred to as the baseline visit. This is where researchers take your readings as they are before the introduction of the trial. This can include bloodwork, physical tests, cognitive testing, and more.
Next, you are randomly assigned to a group. You may be part of the treatment group, or you may be part of the control group. You are not told which group you are in, however. If you are assigned to the control group, you may not be given the actual medication at all, but rather a placebo. A placebo is a medication or series of tests that are offered that have zero effect. This is something you may want to consider if you are engaging in a clinical trial to try and find a cure for your illness.
Depending on the type of clinical trial it is, you may remain onsite in a hospital-like facility. The good news is that The clinical trials at CHEAR Center are as follow: You usually go home after each visit, and then report regularly using a phone/app or visiting.
There are several clinical trials ongoing at any point in time at CHEAR Center.
See our current researches and if you qualify book your appointment.
The CHEAR Center Team