3 Resources To Find Clinical Research Studies

Participating in clinical research studies is an interesting way to do your part in advancing different aspects of medicine, such as diagnosing and treating different diseases, or improving disease prevention. Finding current studies can seem complex unless you know the right places to look.

Databases

There are different types of databases where you can find clinical research studies. The most well-known will be ClinicalTrials.gov. On this website, you can find information on various studies and whether they are recruiting participants. The website allows you to search based on keywords, such a specific conditions or whether healthy volunteers can participate. Although the database does not link you directly with studies, you can use the information to find out who is doing the study and try to contact them. Another type of database is one that links participants with researchers. Typically you will fill out basic information about yourself and any health conditions you have. If you sound like an ideal participant, you will receive an email asking whether you want your information released to the researchers who will contact you directly.

Teaching Hospitals

Teaching hospitals are a broad term frequently used for hospitals that might be affiliated with a medical school or have residency programs. You can usually check the website of your local hospitals to see if they have any information about research studies. Some hospitals or medical schools have research institutions which host these studies and the information on all open studies is updated regularly. Sometimes information is on separate parts of the website, based on which specialty of medicine has clinical research studies. Studies for certain illnesses or treatments might only recruit through doctors who already have an established relationship with relevant patients.

Survey Sites

Survey sites are a popular way to earn extra cash. Most people only think of these sites as market research or product tests, since these are the most common types of research seen. If you are looking for clinical research, sometimes studies will recruit participants through survey sites. Other types of surveys that are related to medical research can include input on marketing for different medications or recruiting people with a certain medical condition to join communities. Joining these communities can also lead to clinical research involvement, so it is important to register for any applicable recruitment. At minimum, you can influence how similar patients are treated or improve the level of care they receive from their doctors.

No advance in medicine would be possible without volunteers who are willing to participate in studies. In addition to the possibility of being compensated for time and travel, the idea of influencing the next discovery can make joining studies worth the effort.

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