Clinical Trials: A Research Necessity

Advances in medicine come from new ideas and approaches developed through research, much of it through clinical trials which bring to market something as simple as an aspirin or as complex as an antibiotic.

If you have ever taken a prescription or over-the-counter medication, used a medical device like a glucometer, or been administered a vaccine, you have benefited from clinical trials.

“That’s why clinical research volunteers play such an important role in medical research,” says Caroline Ballard, marketing specialist with PMG Research of Winston-Salem. “Without volunteers, medical advances don’t happen.”

Involvement in a clinical trial is strictly voluntary, but people who participate have access to promising drugs, medical devices and treatment approaches before the general public.

Most participants (51 percent) volunteer to advance medicine or (46 percent) to find a better treatment for their own conditon. Others volunteer to help others (39 percent), to earn extra money (36 percent) or because their doctor recommended it (31 percent).

“I am an enthusiastic advocate of clinical trials as a way for all of us to participate in advancing medical research. For my entire career I have done research in my own field, which has nothing to do with medicine. When I was offered the opportunity to join clinical trials, I thought that those of us who value research from personal experience should be the first to sign up, so I did – twice, and I would do so again.”

“Medical studies are simply my way of contributing to society beyond any professional contributions. I firmly believe that participating in medical studies will improve life for everyone. When I experience muscle pain and reach for ibuprofen, I realize that there were people in the past who participated in study groups for this over-the-counter drug. In my case, participating in a medical study gave rise to paying closer attention to warning signals I may have been (perhaps) neglecting.”