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Health research is very important for improving health care for all.
As we mentioned in a previous article, What is Health Research?, this type of research helps medical researchers understand people’s health and how we can make treatments better for everyone.
But health research isn’t possible without the contributions of research participants. Research participants are volunteers who consent (in other words, give their permission) to be in a study. They provide the data (from surveys, lab tests, interviews, etc.) that researchers need to answer important questions that improve health care.
In fact, research participants are the most important part of research — without participants, medical advancements can’t happen!
Why participate in research?
There are a lot of great reasons to participate in research! Some common reasons people participate include:
- Contributing to medical science
- Learning more about health and health research
- Wanting to help improve treatment options for a variety of conditions
- Wanting to find a better treatment for a condition they have
Whatever your personal reasons for participating, being a part of health-related research can have a lasting impact.
Why do researchers need research participants?
Did you know that most research studies don’t enroll enough people on time? When this happens, research efforts to develop medications, devices, and treatments get delayed. It causes studies to take longer than expected and ends up costing researchers more. This can lead to increased medication prices and delays in getting new treatments to market.
These factors limit progress in developing new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Cancers, Autoimmune Disorders, and many others.
Many of us have loved ones or know someone living with a condition that has no treatment and limited options for improving quality of life.
You may wonder, “with all the science and technology in the world, why isn’t there a cure or better treatment for this condition?”
Without research and participants, we can’t develop new or improved treatments.
That’s why it’s important that those who want to participate in health research have the ability and support to do so.
How to participate in research
There are many ways to learn about research participation opportunities. You can find opportunities online, in ads, through medical professionals, on the Evidation app, and more.
Here are some resources that can get you started if you’re interested in participating in a study!
- Evidation Studies specializes in decentralized research which is an easy way to contribute to medical science. To learn how to participate in one of our studies, check out our article How to Participate in a Research Study on Evidation. You can also download the Evidation app to learn more!
- Check out clinicaltrials.gov, which is a registry of clinical trials that provides the public with information on past and current trials.
- Talk to your healthcare providers to see if they know of research studies that may apply to you.
Want to know more about any of our Evidation Studies and how to get involved? Check out How to Participate in a Research Study on Evidation 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
