How will the research study benefit me?

Being a medical research volunteer may not offer you any direct benefits. If you have a disease or condition for which there is no effective treatment, volunteering for a study may provide you with the direct benefit of receiving an investigational treatment that does, in fact, work. Remember that research studies are done because researchers do not yet know if the treatment works or not.

For most volunteers, the benefits of participating in research are indirect - you know that you are helping researchers learn more about health and disease, and that may improve the health of others, now or in the future.

It is important to understand that participation in medical research is not the same as getting medical care. If you have a disease or condition that requires medical care, you should seek that care from a physician or other health care provider.