Thinking of Enrolling in a Clinical Trial? Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Team

Deciding to enroll in a clinical trial can be a big decision. It’s important to understand what makes a person eligible for a trial, the enrollment process, and what the trial itself will encompass.

In partnership with your healthcare team, the Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Joint Clinical Trial Office (JCTO) aims to guide you every step of the way from the clinical trial decision process, to completion and beyond. Whether you are eligible for multiple clinical trials, or you want to learn more about one trial in particular, we recommend using the below questions to guide your research about the study protocol, the treatment(s) being examined, what is expected of you as a participant, how the trial may affect your daily life, and more.

About the Clinical Trial(s):

• What is the purpose of the trial?
• What are the eligibility criteria to enroll in the trial?
• Is there more than one trial I am eligible for?
• Who will be responsible for my care while on the trial?
• Does the clinical trial include the use of a placebo? If so, what does this mean and will people know ahead of time which therapy they will receive?
• If I don’t want to continue the trial, can I opt out at any time?

Treatments, Tests, and Assessments

• What type of treatment intervention or combination of therapies are being examined?
• Are there treatment side effects? How might these side effects impact my daily life?
• What kind of tests and assessments will be required while participating in this trial?
• How often will the tests and assessments occur?

Logistics

• How long will the trial last?
• How often will I need to come for visits?
• Will monitoring or visits continue after the completion of the trial?

Privacy

• Will I have the opportunity to speak with or meet any of the other trial participants?
• Who will know that I am participating in this clinical trial?
• Can I tell others that I am participating?
• Will someone tell me the final results of the clinical trial? If so, when will I learn this information?

Costs

• What are the costs associated with participating in a clinical trial?
• Will the costs be covered by my health insurance company?
• What are the costs for parking?
• What are the costs for hotel stay?

View Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian's Open Clinical Trials