Patients choose Blessing Health's Clinical research for a number of reasons, including:

  • Trust: Most patients will already have an existing patient-physician relationship with a physician who is established and involved in their care and who will offer a clinical trial as part of a treatment option.
  • Convenience: Our patients will have access to the most promising clinical trials without the burden and expense of long-distance travel. Through our partnership with major pharmaceutical companies responsible for developing new interventions, we collaborate with our physicians to determine which clinical trials would be most beneficial for our community.
  • Improved Outcomes: Patients who participate in clinical trials may have a better quality of life and increased patient satisfaction. Research participants will be treated as VIP’s throughout the duration of the clinical trial and have additional oversight by the clinical research team.

Why participate in Clinical Trials?

  • Access to alternative treatments and experimental drugs before they are widely available.
  • Opportunity to take a more active role in your healthcare.
  • Hope for improvement in their condition.
  • Altruism, expanding our medical knowledge about their condition and new approaches on ways to treat their condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Clinical Trial?
As defined by NIH, a clinical trial is a research study performed in people, that are aimed at evaluating a medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention. They are the primary way that researchers find out if a new treatment is safe and effective in people.

Clinical trials must be conducted before a new drug, biologic or device may be marketed in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates clinical trials. The FDA gives investigators permission to test a new drug, biologic or device under strict regulatory conditions.

What are the phases of a Clinical Trial?

  • Phase One: Tests an experimental treatment (ie: Drug or Device) on a small group of healthy people to test its safety and side effects and to find the appropriate drug dosing. There are usually about 20-80 enrolled in this phase.
  • Phase Two: Uses a larger study group, approximately 100-300 people. This phase focuses on the drugs effectiveness. The aim is to obtain data on whether the drug works in people with a certain disease or condition, as well as continue to study safety and short-term side effects. This phase may last for several years.
  • Phase Three: Gathers more information about the safety and effectiveness, studies the product in different populations and different dosages, as well as using the drug in combination with other drugs. This test population is much larger, ranging from several hundred to several thousand. At this point, if the FDA agrees that the drug/device is beneficial, it will approve it for use.
  • Phase Four: Takes place after the FDA has approved the drug or device. -Continues to monitor for long-term side effects in a large, diverse group of participants. Often times, side effects are not observed until the drug/device is tested over a longer period of time.

Who gets to be in a study?
Each research study is different, with each study trying to find answers to a specific question. Researchers must follow strict rules to decide who may take part in research. Not everyone with the disease or problem being studied can take part in a research study. If your doctor thinks you might qualify for a study, they may ask if you want to take part. Many patients also look for research studies on their own through websites or support groups. The Clinical Research of Blessing Hospital website provides information on clinical research.

How do I enroll in a study?
Blessing Health has active studies we invite you to learn more about. If you find a study on the internet that you would like to participate in, you can contact the study staff directly. A good source for all trials is www.clinicaltrials.gov. Otherwise, your healthcare provider may refer you for a particular study.

Contact Us

For more information about the Blessing Clinical Research team please email us at clinicalresearch@blessinghealth.org or call (217) 223-8400, ext. 7201.