Informed consent is much more than just a signature; it’s a relationship built on mutual respect and trust. At Altus Research, we respect your legal rights to not only have your questions answered, but also to talk through the decision to participate with your family, and keep you up to speed on all relevant information as it becomes known throughout the process.
The Purpose of Clinical Trials
The overarching purpose of clinical research is to prove the effectiveness and safety of new medical products and fine tune their use. This does mean that voluntary research subjects have different rights than medical patients and may have substantially different outcomes. Effective doses, schedule of doses, side effects, and special precautions to ensure desired medical outcomes are all discovered during the process of clinical research.
Since safety data about the pros/cons and risks/rewards of a given medical product are also discovered during the clinical trial, the risks of participation cannot be fully known prior to the conclusion of the study.
Our Commitment to You
Well before asking for a final signature from you, we will provide you with information concerning:
- The purpose of the study
- The length of the study
- Risks that are known (reminding you that new risks may arise)
- The goals of the study
- The nature of the treatment and data recording (pills, injections, schedule of blood/urine/saliva tests, etc.)
- Existing alternative treatments
- Privacy and confidentiality policies
- A full, written statement of research study participant’s rights
- What kind of compensation or medical treatment is available in the case of illness or injury (when applicable)
- Your right to refuse treatment and exit the study at any time, and with no loss of entitled benefits
We will explain everything in plain, simple terms, and, of course, with enough time to think through the enrollment decision and discuss it with our staff and your family.
Let’s Start the Conversation
Contact us today to learn more about our open enrollment studies to see if any are right for you. You can also see our recent history of concluded studies and learn more about the differences between treatments and trials on our website.
At Altus Research, our team cares deeply about our study participants rights to informed consent. We have over 25 years of experience working with major pharmaceutical developers on a wide range of novel treatments ranging from vaccines to birth control and joint health to skin care. Schedule a meeting with us today!
