Return of Results to Participants
When researchers want to learn more about people and their health, they perform research studies. The individuals who agree to participate in these studies are called participants.
Participants belong to a large community of people who are helping researchers learn more about important health conditions and treatments. They play a key role in research studies by contributing their time and information about their health (researchers call this, personal health data) to help us better understand certain health conditions or behaviors.
Because participants devote their time, data, and effort to research that can improve health care for all, it’s important that participants receive value in return for their contributions.
One important way to give value back to participants is to give them a summary of the study they participated in. Study summaries are easy-to-read descriptions of the research conducted.
What information is found in study summaries?
The content and format of study summaries is different depending on the study. At Evidation Studies, our study summaries are typically sent as emails and may include the following information:
- Why the study was done
- What happened during the study
- Who participated in the study
- What the results of the study were
- Where you can learn more
These summaries are a great way for participants to see the impact they made when participating in study. Sometimes, participants may even be able to extract useful information from the summaries that they can use to improve their day-to-day health.
Why are study summaries important?
Participants contribute their personal health data to scientific studies. Understanding the impact of those studies and the contribution their data makes can be rewarding and can positively impact their research experience.
For example, these summaries can help participants understand the overall study outcomes. They can also explain what the study results really mean. They allow participants to engage with the study on a deeper level. Sometimes, the results can even give participants insight into their own health and how to improve it.
Evidation Studies is committed to continuously identifying ways to improve the study experience, and we’ve started to return study summaries to participants when possible. We will continue to work towards a better understanding of the needs of our participants, so that we can return value in the most meaningful ways possible.
Want to know more about any of our Evidation Studies and how to get involved? Check out How to Get Involved in Evidation Studies, or reach out to us at study@evidation.com and one of our friendly team members can help you get started..
If you want additional general information on health research, we recommend checking out the following public resources:
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections
- FDA, Clinical Trials and Human Subject Protection
- National Institutes of Health (NIH), Educational Resources
- Clinical Research Resource HUB, Resources for Participants
