Clinical Research and Trials

BayCare providers take part in clinical research to learn about the cause of a disease and its effects on patients, help find effective treatments to improve quality of life and health outcomes and find out if a medicine used for one condition could also help with another condition. For some patients, current treatments might not be working, or they might be having bad side effects. Within our network of 16 hospitals, surgery centers and outpatient locations, we conduct hundreds of trials each year in the areas of cardiology, neurosciences, rheumatology, endocrinology, oncology, pediatrics, women’s health, trauma and more. BayCare participates in clinical research with the goal of helping to improve the health of our community.

Why is research important?

Research is an important part of health care because it attempts to answer a specific question about managing or improving our health and our care. Answers to these questions may be found (researched) in a clinical research study, also known as a clinical trial or research study. Clinical trials may focus on new treatments such as medicines, devices, or surgical techniques, prevention and screening protocols, or registry participation that aims to improve quality of life for others with the same diagnosis.

What are the benefits and risks of participating in a clinical trial?

Benefits

• You may get a new treatment for a disease before it is available to everyone.
• You play a more active role in your own health care.
• Researchers may provide you with medical care and more frequent health check-ups as part of your treatment.
• You may have the chance to help others get a better treatment for their health problems in the future.
• You may be able to get information about support groups and resources.

Risks

• The new treatment may cause serious side effects or be uncomfortable.
• The new treatment may not work, or it may not be better than the standard treatment.
• You may NOT be part of the treatment group (or experimental group) that gets the new treatment—for example, a new drug or device. Instead, you may be part of the control group, which means you get the standard treatment or a no-treatment placebo.
• The clinical trial could inconvenience you. For example, medical appointments could take a lot of time. You might need to travel to the study site several times or stay in the hospital.