Understanding Human clinical trials

Since time immemorial, the issue of human clinical trials has elicited a lot of mixed reactions in our society. The fact that these trials are geared towards breaking ground in medical research is always lost in these debates and it is not surprising that many people are missing out on the chance to volunteer due to lack of the necessary information. If you have ever been approached to volunteer in these studies and declined, it is high time you got an insight into what really transpires in the human clinical trials before missing out next time. In addition, if you may be suffering from a disease that is subject to on-going trials, then read on;

What is a human clinical trial?

This is a biomedical study on human beings that follows a pre-defined protocol which the volunteer is aware of. It includes both interventional and observational research on the individual. The human clinical trials protocol plan clearly answers all pertinent questions in the research including the safety of the participants and also identifies the type of people who can participate to avoid unnecessary risks.

What happens in a human clinical trial?

After the participant is given instructions, the clinical team which can include doctors and nurses administer the treatment but, unlike a normal doctor visit, a lot of follow up is involved to check all the reactions of the drug. However, it is important to note that by the time these treatments are given, prior tests have already been done to ensure the safety of the participant and the goal here is to observe whether the expected cure will be achieved.

What are the benefits of participating in a human clinical trial?

As a volunteer in human clinical trials, there are various benefits that you can accrue. It is important to differentiate between two types of volunteers at this point, those who are healthy and those who are suffering from a disease under research. Some of the benefits include;

Contributing to humanity; by accepting to take part in a human clinical trial, you will have opened a door to great breakthroughs in medical research. The process might eventually get a cure for a devastating disease or get a more effective medication thus saving millions of lives.

Access to free specialized treatment; the volunteers get checkups from the best medics in the world who might even diagnose other health problems other than the one under research. Most of the treatments under research are expensive and out of reach for most people but the volunteer gets this at no cost.

What to consider before participating in a human clinical trial?

Due to the complexity of the studies, it is good for the volunteer to get an informed consent which consists of the key facts in simpler terms. The informed consent is a continuous process in the research to ensure the participant is kept in the know about all on-goings in the research. There is a document that has all these details and it should be in a language that you can understand. Before participating in a human clinical trial, try to understand the main issues involved including the duration, risks, hospitalization among others to ensure they don’t interrupt your normal schedule. After you are satisfied with all these, then make the step and you might just save millions of lives out there.

Dr Edward Darmos is the author of this article on Human Cloning.
Find more information on Clinical Trials here.