Here is a guest post I wrote earlier this year for METAvivor called “How Do People Feel about Bone Marrow Exams?” While this may be one of the more gruesome-sounding medical procedures that some patients go through, it is not necessarily unique.
Too often, researchers think about all of the cool data they can collect during a clinical trial or research study, without thinking about what is would be like to experience all of those test procedures. Well, patients think about it, and often wonder what is wrong with the researchers!
I’m always perplexed when I hear about “adherence” issues in clinical trials. It used to be called “compliance” but that wasn’t as accurate, and brought up more negative connotations for the research community.
The fact is, for patients, endurance is the best term.
– Deborah Collyar
Staying in a clinical trial, or on any prolonged treatment plan, is an endurance test. There are many unpleasant, and sometimes risky, things that you have to do but hopefully you will get something out of it at the end. Patients hope for positive responses to treatment, or even remission, but that is not always possible.
This is one of many reasons why it is important for those of us who represent patients to be involved in research discussions, from conceptual design to trial completion. We ask questions, such as, “Why do you need x number of these tests? Are they absolutely necessary to answer the questions in this study? What else could be done? Have you thought about asking the patient?”
Let’s work together to make the experience of participating in clinical trials as smooth as possible. Trial participants contribute so much already – they deserve to respect and consideration when we ask them to do things for research.
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