Clinical Trials
Research is all about patients!
CLINICAL RESEARCH
Clinical studies help bridge research and patient care by evaluating therapies, drugs and diagnostic tools to drive discoveries into clinical practice.
DECIDING TO VOLUNTEER
FURTHER INFORMATION
Our team can answer questions, discuss your needs and help locate research studies that match your interests. We can also provide interpreter services for non-English-speaking patients.
About Clinical Studies
Don’t just take it from us, let our customers do the talking!
At Boeson Reseach, the needs of the patient come first. Part of this commitment involves conducting medical research with the goal of helping patients live longer, healthier lives.
Through clinical studies, which involve people who volunteer to participate in them, researchers can better understand how to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases or conditions.
Types of clinical studies:
- Observational study. A type of study in which people are observed or certain outcomes are measured. No attempt is made by the researcher to affect the outcome — for example, no treatment is given by the researcher.
- Clinical trial (interventional study). During clinical trials, researchers learn if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Treatments studied in clinical trials might be new drugs or new combinations of drugs, new surgical procedures or devices, or new ways to use existing treatments. Find out more about the five phases of non-cancer clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov or the National Cancer Institute phases of cancer trials.
- Medical records research. Medical records research involves the use of information collected from medical records. By studying the medical records of large groups of people over long periods of time, researchers can see how diseases progress and which treatments and surgeries work best. Find out more about Minnesota research authorization.
Clinical studies differ from medical care
When you visit your doctor, he or she diagnoses and treats your current illness or condition. During clinical studies, researchers are trying to gather new knowledge that will help them improve medical care for people in the future.
Volunteering
Don’t just take it from us, let our customers do the talking!
Volunteers are an integral part of the research process. People with a particular disease as well as healthy people both can play a role in contributing to medical advances. Without volunteers, clinical studies simply would not be possible.
People volunteer for clinical studies for many reasons. They may have a:
- Desire to improve medical care for future generations
- Connection to a certain disease or illness, whether through personal experience or through friends or family
- Personal interest in science
Participating is a choice
Volunteering for a clinical study is a personal choice. You have no obligation to do so, and participation is not right for everyone. After enrolling in a study, you may leave at any time for any reason.
Getting involved
- Participate in a clinical study at Boeson Research. Researchers need volunteers for a broad range of clinical studies. Find a clinical study.
- Join a national research volunteer registry. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, ResearchMatch is a first-of-its-kind registry that connects research volunteers with researchers across the country. Sign up at ResearchMatch.org.
Making an informed decision
- Informed consent. Before deciding to participate in a study, you will be asked to review an informational document called an informed consent form. This form will provide key facts about the study so that you can decide if participating is right for you. You must sign the informed consent form in order to participate in the study, though it is not a contract — you may still choose to leave the study at any time.
- Risks and benefits. All medical research involves some level of risk to participants. Risks and benefits vary depending on the particular study. To help you make an informed decision, the study team is required to tell you about all known risks, benefits and available alternative health care options.
- Ask questions. If you have questions when deciding to join a research study or at any time during it, ask a member of the study team. If your questions or concerns are not satisfactorily addressed, contact the study’s principal investigator or the Boeson Research participant advocate.
Protecting rights and safety
An independent group, the study’s institutional review board (IRB), oversees all Boeson Research clinical studies that involve people, ensuring research is conducted safely and ethically. Members of the IRB include doctors, scientists, nurses, and people from the local community.
Research sponsors we’ve worked with:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Boeson Research
Boeson Research is a company dedicated to conducting clinical studies and investigating the effectiveness of new medicines and treatments. We provide a friendly, relaxed environment where you have the chance to help shape the future of health for yourself and for others.
We have two clinics in Montana, each with its own dedicated team of highly trained doctors and nurses to provide our patients with the level of comfort and professionalism usually found in private healthcare. Our friendly staff and personal touches make a Boeson Research clinic such a welcoming place for you to take part in a clinical study.
What are clinical studies?
A clinical trial is a research study that involves human volunteers to test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. A clinical trial is used to determine if an investigational drug or therapy is both safe and effective. Clinical trials also determine new ways of using existing drugs or therapies.
People tend not to give much thought to how treatments have been made available to them, but everything from aspirin to chemotherapy has been carefully tested before being prescribed by your doctor.
How are clinical studies regulated?
Clinical trials are carefully designed and monitored to ensure the safety of patient volunteers. Clinical trials are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before any medication can be used by the general public.
Study coordinators and physicians closely monitor the participants throughout the study via physical exams, laboratory tests and other medical procedures. Often, these procedures are described as an extension of what is traditionally done to manage the patient’s health and medical condition. Patients in research studies receive study-medication, tests and exams at no charge throughout the course of the study. Studies can last for weeks, months or even years, during which time patients can save the enormous cost associated with paying for medications and office visits.
How do I take part in a clinical study?
Taking part in a clinical study is a personal choice and we will provide the information you need to make an informed decision. We encourage you to discuss your decision with those close to you as well.
If you decide you’re interested in potentially taking part, we make your journey as simple and informative as possible:
1. When you register your interest on this website, we will ask you some questions to see if you’re suitable for one of our studies because it is important that we learn more about you so we can find the right study for you.
2. If you’re eligible a member of our team will explain any benefits and risks in detail and provide you an Informed Consent Form.
3. You can take this form home to discuss it with your family before making a decision.
4. If you decide to take part, and sign the informed consent form, you are given a simple treatment plan to follow. Your condition will be monitored throughout the study and you will be offered specialist advice and support throughout.
5. The plan may require you to visit our clinic regularly, and we may be able to help with your travel arrangements. You are also welcome to bring someone with you to the clinic for support at any time.
6. Remember you can express an interest without committing to a study and you are free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
Will my normal healthcare be affected?
During the study you can continue to visit your doctor for any health issues not related to your participation in the study and we will keep your doctor informed about your study participation and condition.
On leaving the study your usual healthcare will not be affected as your doctor will care for you exactly as before the study.
What if I still have questions?
It is perfectly normal to have a lot of questions about taking part.
Our friendly team are ready to answer any questions you might have and the informed consent process is designed to help give you all of the information that you need as well as an opportunity to ask questions.
There’s no pressure to commit to anything you don’t feel comfortable with.
More information is available on our FAQ page.