Welcome to the next article in our Research 101 Series! This post talks about eligibility for health research studies.
We encourage all of our members to actively participate in better health outcomes. One way to do that is by joining a research study! Before you can join a research study, you’ll first need to learn if you’re eligible. But what does that mean?
Below, we describe the research eligibility process and how this process matches you to the right research opportunities.
What is the eligibility process?
The eligibility process is a way for researchers to make sure that you’re a good fit for a study. All research studies have rules that outline who is eligible to participate in the study. Those rules are called the eligibility criteria.
There are two main reasons for this:
1. We use eligibility criteria to make sure the participants who are included in the study are able to help us answer the questions that the study hopes to answer. For example, in a study about birth control in women, we would only include women because that is the only group that’s appropriate for the purposes of the study.
2. We also use eligibility criteria to make sure that we don’t include people in studies when they may be harmed by study activities. For example, we would not enroll individuals with heart disease in a study that asks participants to take a daily medication that could have side effects for people with heart disease
The eligibility criteria are usually related to things such as age, sex, medical conditions, or medical history. All of these factors are assessed by researchers and compared to the study definitions to decide if you’re a match for the study. Every study has different eligibility criteria, because every study is different.
How can I find out if I’m eligible for a study?
Once you find a research study that you’d like to participate in, you’ll go through the eligibility process.
At Evidation, we ask potential participants to answer an eligibility screening questionnaire which is completed online before joining a study. We may also ask you to take part in other eligibility activities, such as interviews or lab tests depending on the study requirements. All of this helps us determine if a person is a fit for the study.
How does eligibility affect me?
By finding the right participants for a study, we’re able to conduct good research. It also allows researchers to obtain meaningful results. Research studies have the possibility to impact healthcare for all, and so it’s important to do them right.
Want to know more about any of our Evidation Studies and how to get involved? 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
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