Clinical Trial: Have you been asked to take part?

February 20, 2018

Clinical and trial, two words naturally surrounded by scepticism and a whole bunch of questions. Pair these two words together and actually, you have something potentially revolutionary on your hands.

The world of clinical trial

The world of clinical trials can be quite daunting. To take the edge off of things here’s a short heads-up from Get Going Travel Insurance, based on a personal experience from within the team.

The word trial rightly indicates newly developed methods of tackling and/or preventing diseases such as Cancer and Alzheimer’s.

There are of course both benefits and risks to taking part in clinical trials. Unfortunately, no one can guarantee which side of the spectrum each individual is most likely to experience. The nature of the trial is to gather research concerned with identifying ‘under what circumstances does the treatment perform best and provide the desired effect, if at all?’

Clinical trial and one-to-one care

One of the greatest benefits, of taking part in a clinical trial, is the phenomenal level of intimate care that patients report receiving.

The approach to care will vary slightly depending on which institute the patient is treated at, however, the placement always means that you will be treated by the freshest minds. It is predominantly university hospitals that carry out trials. This means that the patient will be under the care of hungry-minded juniors that is also given the big thumbs up by the seasoned experts – the gurus of their fields if you like.

On the shadier side of the practice are the possible side effects – these can be a big put off for some people. Again, a trial means it’s likely that the patient is one of the first few people to receive this treatment. It can be very hard for the experts to predict which side effects that each individual person will experience – results are known to vary dramatically from person to person.

It’s important to remember that side effects are relative to the individual and your specific circumstances. All that in mind, let us not forget that personal, expert care will be readily at hand. Should you choose to end the trial, you have the right and ability to do so at any given time.

Your health will be monitored with a close eye, which is great for you because any abnormalities are noticed and addressed immediately.

Medical trials and studies, however, are only carried out in specific places, meaning you could be asked to travel more often than you might like and further than you might like. The specific whereabouts of the clinical trial are one of the many questions that you should feel comfortable asking your point of contact when discussing the trial.

A number of other questions you might like to ask are:

• Will there be reimbursement for any extra expenditures that opting in might afford me?
• Can I opt out if and when I desire? The answer to this should always be yes.
• What is the trial called?
• What is the purpose of the trial and why have I been chosen?
• How long will it be before I can expect to see or be informed of results?
• How long is the trial expected to last?
• What are the expected benefits for me?
• Who can I contact should I have a problem? Is there a 24-hour contact line?

These are only suggestions and you should feel comfortable posing any queries you might have. It could be important to you that you know the finer details of the trial. The purpose of the trial, the location and the level of care that you will have access to, are all factors likely to impact the decision-making process.

Taking part in a clinical trial can be life-changing for some people, if not only, those that directly take part then those that that research goes on to help in the future. Never feel pressure and remember it is always your decision. Your doctor will be happy to answer all queries and concerns you might have. Do not be afraid to ask the questions to get the answers that are important to you.

This is a short, amateur and brief overview of the world of clinical trials and more specifically what it could mean for the patient, should they decide to take part in one. This is not a definitive guide and we always advise that a patient should always seek professional, medical advice.

Unfortunately, Get Going Travel Insurance is not able to provide travel insurance in the instance that the individual is currently undergoing treatment or awaiting tests/results. Despite this factor, we value the importance of providing information on medical technology, research and advancement. This piece is meant solely as a brief, insightful piece for anyone looking to take part in a proposed or in-progress clinical trial.

We do offer travel insurance for those with medical conditions, so if you are planning to go away, be sure to get a quote.