Drug Trials

Randomized drug trials are a big player in the medical field. The advances in the medical field come from a lot of different randomized drug trials. Me, personally, I would choose to not participate in these randomized drug trials. I realize that if I was a person with no other choice really, it might be a good idea to do so. But having the choice, I would not choose to do so. I have read an informational site on randomized cancer drug trials. The site was talking about the patients that went to do the trials. It stated, “97% felt they were fully informed on risks and benefits”, “96% felt they were treated with dignity and respect”, and “92% had a positive experience” (Coalition of Cooperative Groups Inc., 2012). Even with these statistics, I, for personal reasons would choose not to participate in these trials. It is not something I feel I should do. I understand that these trials and tests do have their pros and actually do help in many cases, but I wouldn’t do it. Other people can do it; I have no problem with that.

Along with the pros of RDT’s come the cons of them also. Some of the cons to RDT’s are shown in a list on The University of Iowa’s website. A couple of these cons include: new drugs or methods are not always better than the normal treatment, you may need to make more visits to the hospital or clinic, and even if a new treatment has benefits, it may not work for you (The University of Iowa, 2012). There are so many more cons that come from RDT’s. I am not saying that RDT’s don’t have their upsides, but with all of the cons, along with my personal reasons, I wouldn’t want to take the chance. I do not feel it is wrong to do these trials what so ever. I feel that it all goes back to having control of your own body and the actions that you make. You decide what you want to do, it isn’t my decision to make for you. For me, I am against these randomized drug trials, but not in it’s entirety to the public society.

Works Cited:

Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, Inc. (2012). Learn about cancer clinical trials. Retrieved from [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

The University of Iowa. (2012). Pros and cons of clinical research. Retrieved from [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Hunter, I can see your hesitation and position on the topic. You made some great points regarding the risks of RDTs. Along with the statistics you used in your post, before trials are approved, they must be analyzed by a IRB (Institutional Review Board) and the Joint Commission. These stipulations are put into place to assure the safety and well-being of the patients. And as a volunteer, patients are free to remove themselves from the trial at any time. Personally, the possibility of helping society and medical research, improving the quality of life of others, are reason enough for my participation in an RDT. The careful, high quality care and informed consent would provide me, as a patient, with a safe environment.