FAQ’s

FAQ & Guidelines

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FAQs Common questions to uncommon problems

Clinical Trials help change the quality of life for millions through the advancement of medicine. Clinical research studies are designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new drug, device, or treatment.

To do this, researchers must be able to accurately assess the effects on human subjects. The data gathered from the clinical trial can then be used to draw conclusions about the safety and efficacy of the intervention. Without the participation of volunteers, it would be impossible to accurately assess the effects resulting in not enough data to receive FDA approval.

To date, Segal Trials and their volunteers have been instrumental in 48 medications and devices which achieved FDA approval and are currently on the market.

What are clinical trials from a patient perspective by steps

  1. Research: Patients should first research clinical trials to determine if one is right for them. This can involve reading online material, talking to friends or family, and consulting a healthcare provider.
  2. Consultation: Patients should consult a healthcare provider to determine if they are eligible for a clinical trial. This includes discussing any health conditions, medications, and lifestyle habits that could prevent them from participating.
  3. Evaluation: Once a patient has been deemed eligible for a clinical trial, they will undergo an evaluation process to determine their suitability. This may involve physical exams, blood tests, and other types of tests.
  4. Consent: If the patient is cleared for participation, they will need to sign a consent form. This form will outline the rights, compensation for time and travel and responsibilities of the patient and the researchers.
  5. Participation: During the trial, the patient will visit the research site regularly or stay overnight at the facility and follow any instructions given by the researchers. They may need to keep logs of their symptoms, make lifestyle changes, or take medications as prescribed.
  6. Follow-up: Once the trial is complete, the patient will follow up with the research team to ensure their health is monitored. This may involve periodic visits or phone calls.

Volunteers in a clinical trial are randomly assigned to a specific study group which may be one of the following:

  1. A group receiving an investigational medication; or
  2. A group receiving a placebo (sugar pill); or
  3. A group receiving a comparator medication already available on the market.

In most studies, neither the research team nor volunteer knows which product was assigned to each group. This ensures that the research teams remain unbiased when assessing the volunteers’ results. All volunteers will be treated equally, no matter what assignment the group has received.

Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.
Clinical trials are the best approach for participants to:

  • Play an active role in their own health care.
  • Gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available.
  • Help others by contributing to medical research.
  • Have an alternative means for care they otherwise might not have access to.
People should know as much as possible about the clinical trial and feel comfortable asking the members of the health care team questions, the care expected while in a trial, and the cost of the trial. The following are a few questions to consider asking.
  1. Why do researchers believe the new treatment being tested may be effective?
  2. Has it been tested before?
  3. How do the possible risks, side effects, and benefits in the study compare with my current treatment?
  4. How might this trial affect my daily life?
  5. How long will the trial last?
  6. Who will be in charge of my care?

Clinical trials are conducted in phases. The trials at each phase have a different purpose and help scientists answer different questions:

  • Phase 1: Studies that are usually conducted with healthy volunteers and that emphasize safety. The goal is to find out what the drug’s most frequent and serious adverse events are and, often, how the drug is metabolized and excreted.
  • Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness. For example, participants receiving the drug may be compared with similar participants receiving a different treatment, usually an inactive substance (called a placebo) or a different drug. Safety continues to be evaluated, and short-term adverse events are studied.
  • Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.
  • Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing. These including post market requirement and commitment studies that are required of or agreed to by the sponsor. These studies gather additional information about a drug’s safety, efficacy, or optimal use.

It is our pleasure to welcome you to one of our inpatient sites. We are pleased to have you participate in one of our Clinical Research trials. We have taken the time to prepare for you a list of items to consider ensuring that your stay with us is as efficient, comfortable, and as pleasant as possible. Please bring with you the following to your first appointment:

  • Copies of your medical records.
  • A complete list of all the medications you are taking, and how you take them. You may bring the actual medicine bottles, If that is easier.
  • Reading glasses, if necessary.

Please make sure to limit the number of items that you bring with you for your inpatient stay at one of our sites.

Do Bring the Following for Your Stay:

  • 5 daytime outfits
  • Pajamas and/or bathrobe (belts are not allowed)
  • Toiletries and/or cosmetics Hairbrush and/or comb, toothbrush (not electronic)
  • Shoes without laces
  • Reading materials
  • Personal hygiene items will be provided to you.
  • Personal ID if you have one. If not, please ask staff to provide you with one.

Do NOT bring the following items for Your Stay:

  • Metal/glass Items
  • Medications/vitamins/supplements
  • Appliances
  • Matches/lighters
  • Pens
  • Pagers
  • Belts
  • Ties
  • Shoes with laces
  • Plastic bags
  • Erotica or pornography
  • Valuables (Watches, money, jewelry, & credit cards)
  • Any items containing alcohol (cologne, mouthwash, etc)
  • Any sharp objects (knives, nail file, scissors, and tweezers)
  • Wire hangers
  • Hair dryers
  • Bleaching items
  • Flammable liquids
  • Any aerosols
  • Sexually inappropriate materials or clothing
  • Electronic equipment (i.e. cd player, computers, tvs, fans, etc)
  • Cell phone
  • Camera

Thank you for considering participation in one of our inpatient studies.

The Segal Trials Team

It is our pleasure to welcome you to one of our outpatient sites. We are pleased to have you participate in one of our Clinical Research trials. We have taken the time to prepare for you a list of items to consider assuring that your experience with us is as efficient, comfortable, and as pleasant as possible. Please bring the following with you to your first appointment:

  • Copies of your medical records.
  • A complete list of all the medications you are taking, and how you take them. You may bring the actual bottles if that is easier.
  • Reading glasses, if necessary.

Thank you for considering participation in one of our outpatient studies.

The Segal Trials Team

Privacy Policy Statement

Segal Trials for Clinical Research’s Privacy Policy is designed to protect patients who have volunteered to participate in a clinical trial. Segal Trials enacts the HIPAA Policy Act in order to ensure the protection of patients’ rights. The HIPAA Act has included a series of conditions that require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions. Segal Trials accumulates patients’ personal information, i.e., name, address, phone number, or E-mail address, only when this evidence has been voluntarily supplied.

Any time that there is any information exchanged between a patient and this website, whether that information is channeled through questionnaires or forms on this site or via regular E-mail, will be monitored Internet security measures, i.e., firewalls, in order to preserve high standards of patient confidentiality.

The information posted on this website is not intended to interfere with those relationships between patient and his or her personal physician. Information concerning diagnosis, condition, treatment, or evaluation is meant solely for educational purposes.

Accumulation of Evidence

Segal Trials for Clinical Research accumulates patients’ personal information, i.e. name, address, phone number, or E-mail address, only when this evidence has been voluntarily supplied. If a visitor wishes to keep his/her information private, or if he/she has concerns about maintaining the confidentiality of specific pieces of information within our system, then it is suggested that the visit refrain from providing this information. The information provided to us will only be used for purposes indicated in the type of form that the visitor fills out and/or questions that the visitor answers.

Use of Information

Segal Trials limits access to information only to those individuals who are responsible for responding to visitors’ specific requests. Segal Trials is required to reasonably safeguard protected health information (PHI) – including oral information – from any intentional or unintentional use or disclosure that is in violation of the Privacy rule. Segal Trials will attempt to contact visitors who have voluntarily submitted their information to the website’s database using the preferred method of contact that has been selected.

The information that is typically requested within the questionnaire is the city, state, and zip code of any visitor who requests information about participating in a Segal Trials clinical trial. Segal Trials requests this information in order to match visitors up with a clinical research site that is within the area. This information is also stored in our database in case there any future studies arise for which those visitors may be qualified. Segal Trials will be able to contact visitors in the future should this situation occur.

This website is meant to act as a setting for collected information for those purposes specified by visitors. Segal Trials has no control over the quality, truth, or accuracy of information supplied by visitors; it is not the responsibility of Segal Trials to determine the validity of the submitted evidence. Visitors to the website are personally responsible for the information that they voluntarily submit to Segal Trials.

Only the visitor may provide us with the authorization to use the information supplied for the purposes for which it was provided. Segal Trials is under no obligation to use or retain any of the information a visitor submits and may choose to delete such information. The visitor must specify if he or she wants that information to be stored within our database for a certain period of time. If circumstances suggest reasons for severing ties with a certain patient, Segal Trials also has the right to suspend or terminate a visitor’s right to submit information to the website.

Segal Trials updates this website on a monthly basis, and may decide to change parts of the Privacy Policy at certain times. Visitors will receive notice of these changes based on the postings on this website.

Visitor Options

If visitors have submitted a contact form or prescreen form, and wish it to be deleted from or saved within this database, please email [email protected]. If possible please specify what contact form was filled out and when it was submitted so the proper information can be removed from the appropriate database.

Patients may also send their inquiries regarding clinical trials [email protected]

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