Although modern-day clinical trials produce valuable treatments for diseases, it can be daunting to get involved with one. Learn about some common myths surrounding clinical trials—and our responses to them.
Four Common Myths about Clinical Trials—Debunked
Clinical trials are a pillar of modern medical research. They act as a stepping stone that allows researchers to gather medical data on prospective procedures, treatments, and cures using safe, controlled methods before they become available to the general public.
However, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about how clinical trials work, and these myths can make the prospect of volunteering extremely daunting.
This International Clinical Trials Day, we at the Department of Neurology are going to debunk four of these common myths.
Myth #1: Participating Won't Help Me
Truth: Clinical trials collect medical data on prospective procedures, treatments, and cures—which means participants get special, early access to them!
And depending on the type of research, these trials could include extra tests, laboratory work, and clinic visits that may not be part of a regular health care plan. Multiple studies have shown that patients in clinical trials actually do better than patients not in trials. While we don’t know for sure, some researchers suspect that this benefit is due to the extra attention clinical trial patients receive.
Additionally, by joining clinical trials, participants get to play a more active role in their own care, and they may gain access to better information about support groups and other resources.
Myth #2: The Providers Will Treat Me like a Guinea Pig
Truth: Before trials can enroll human participants, the study is performed in cells, so it is highly vetted scientifically first.
The safety of participants is the #1 priority of medical researchers, and there are extensive laws (put in place by Congress) that protect the rights of patients. These laws require that clinical trials receive ethical approvals by local institutional review boards and receive voluntary and informed consent from all participants.
Furthermore, participants may withdraw from a trial at any time for any reason—a signed informed consent form is not a contract.
Myth #3: The Trial Will Only Give Me a Placebo
Truth: A clinical trial will never use a placebo without first telling the participant about the possibility; this information is required to be disclosed on the consent form.
In addition, many trials use the “standard of care” (the best available treatment) as the control for an investigational treatment, though sometimes a placebo is implemented in conjunction with the standard of care. Placebos by themselves are used very infrequently.
Myth #4: Clinical Trials Are Only for Really Sick People
Truth: Clinical trials are extremely varied and require all types of participants. Yes, some explore treatments for terminally ill patients who have exhausted all other options, but others want healthy participants, while most are looking for those in-between. After all, there are many, many conditions that aren’t fatal but still could benefit from improved treatment options, new preventative drugs, and better screening guidelines and standards of care.
Interested in a Clinical Trial?
Do you want to see if there are any clinical trials studying your condition? Your neurologist may even be leading one. The Department of Neurology has a number of studies currently recruiting, which you can browse here: https://medicine.utah.edu/neurology/news/05/enrolling-clinical-trials.