What To Expect
Your first visit will vary with the type of study you’re trying to qualify for. A screening visit may take about 1.5 - 2hours to complete. In some cases, you can expect some of the following procedures to be conducted to see if you qualify for the research study:
- Consent Form (if needed bring reading glasses)
- Medical history review
- Current Medications (bring all medication bottles including vitamin and over the counter)
- Evaluations of your feet
- Sample of fungus from toe/foot
- X-rays
- Height/Weight
- Vital signs
- Physical Exam
- Blood Draw/s
- ECG
- Urine test (pregnancy or drug)
During the study, the team will review your medical history, give you instructions for participating, and monitor your health. Some clinical research studies may involve more tests and doctor visits than you would normally have for an illness or condition.
The below table lists some of the differences between care provided by a standard private doctor and the care you will experience as part of a clinical trial:
| Clinical Research Trial | VS | Doctor visits |
|---|---|---|
| The research coordinator’s goal is to learn about your illness. | VS | Your doctor’s goal is to treat your condition. |
| The coordinator must use standardized procedures. You will probably be removed from the study if your illness worsens. | VS | Your doctor will change your treatment as necessary. |
| You will be randomly assigned to a group taking a standard treatment of placebo, also known as an inactive pill (control group), or a group taking a new treatment (treatment group). | VS |
Your doctor will usually offer standard treatment for your illness. |
| The results from your participation may help researchers develop new treatments and may be published so that other researchers can learn. | VS | Your treatment is designed to help you, not to help the doctor learn how to treat people with your illness. |
| In most cases, costs of the study may be covered, and you may receive additional compensation. | VS | You will likely need to pay or use insurance for treatment. |
| With your permission, researcher coordinators may request medical records from your doctors to learn about your conditions and past treatments. | VS | Your doctor usually won’t share your information with researchers. |
