Becoming a Research Patient at the National Institutes of Health Clinical
Center
Medical research and your health
We are all concerned about the health of our families and ourselves. Medical research
has helped cure or control many, once-fatal diseases, but there are many more diseases to
conquer. For over 100 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed new
treatments through clinical research. NIH is currently running more than 1,000 clinical
research studies on many different diseases. These studies are carried out at NIH's
hospital/clinic, the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center.
What is a clinical research study?
Many new medicines and treatments show helpful and safe effects in test tubes and in
animals. They must also prove safe and effective in humans before doctors can prescribe
them. Testing in humans ("clinical research") is permitted only if that person
volunteers for the testing and understands the risks and benefits of the study.
Why should I volunteer for a study?
NIH is committed to improving human health. If you have a disease we are studying, the
information we learn from you may help others who have the same disease, perhaps even your
children or grandchildren. The study may or may not benefit you directly. But as a
research patient, you will receive high-quality medical care at no cost to you.
How do the studies work?
Some studies require you to stay at the Clinical Center for a few days or longer;
others let you visit and go home the same day. You may be asked to take more tests and be
examined more often than you are used to. Some studies require follow-up visits to the
Clinical Center. Each study is carefully screened before research patients are admitted.
Every effort is made to ensure your safety.
Sometimes people feel better just because they take something they believe will make
them better. To make sure a treatment really works, we may compare it to a placebo. A
placebo looks just like the real medicine but has no effect on the body. If you are
admitted into a study, there is a chance you might get a placebo instead of the test
medicine. You won't know which you are getting, nor will your caregivers, until some point
in the future.
If you are uncomfortable with the idea of getting a placebo, discuss your concerns
frankly with your doctors at NIH. They can explain the risks and benefits based on your
unique situation.
A special note to minority groups and women
The research patients at NIH are men, women, and children from all across the United
States and around the world. For the results of any study to be accurate, we must include
a variety of people. In the past, however, some studies did not include enough women and
minorities. As a result, we need to fill in missing information about diseases and
treatments in these groups. If you are a women or minority and have a disease, we hope
you'll talk to your doctor about taking part in an NIH clinical research study.
What can I expect while at NIH?
Research patients always get the best care possible while at NIH. Highly qualified
doctors, nurses, and technologists will take care of you. Before we give you any kind of
research test or treatment, we will explain it to you and make sure you understand it. You
are free to say no. If you agree, we'll ask you to sign a consent form.
You may leave the study at any time. But you should talk to the doctors first to see if
there would be any immediate or future effects on your health.
When you have completed your part in the study, you will return to the care of your
personal doctor, who will be told about the treatments you got here.
Why must I go to NIH, and not my doctor?
NIH's treatments are part of research. Your personal doctor is not authorized to
prescribe them yet. But if research treatments prove safe and effective, someday doctors
will be allowed to prescribe them. Your participation in a study could help this happen.
What is NIH, and where is it located?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a United States government agency located in
Bethesda, Maryland. NIH is made up of many different institutes that study diseases such
as cancer, AIDS, heart trouble, eye problems, dental problems, depression, and nerve
diseases, to name just a few. These studies are paid for with taxpayer dollars.
How do I get into a study?
If you would like to take part in an NIH research study, you must be referred by your
doctor or dentist. Your doctor should call NIH to see if we are studying your disease.
- 301-496-4891 (Washington, DC, metropolitan area)
- 1-800-411-1222 (long distance)
Or your doctor can mail your diagnosis and medical history to this address:
- Patient Referral Service
- National Institutes of Health
- Building 10, Room 1C255
- 10 CENTER DR MSC 1170
- BETHESDA, MD 20892-1170
NIH doctors will review your diagnosis and medical history to see if your condition
fits the needs of a study.
Information on NIH clinical research studies may also be found on the Internet at http://www.cc.nih.gov.
About the Clinical Center
The Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center is a combination research hospital and
clinic, located at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland.
Patients with a variety of diseases and conditions volunteer to come to the Clinical
Center. They receive research medical treatment not yet available through their regular
doctors. If these treatments prove safe and effective, they may become available to the
public.
Since the Clinical Center is a research hospital, it can only admit those patients with
the exact kind of stage of illness being studied. There are no childbirth facilities or
emergency rooms. Patients must be referred here by their doctors.
There are about 7,000 admissions to the hospital each year. Another 68,000 visits are
made to the outpatient clinic. All research patients receive the finest medical care
available.
Note to Physicians
To refer a patient, call: 301-496-4891 or 1-800-411-1222
Source: National Institutes of Health
Clinical Center Communications
NIH Publication No. 96-3922
June 1996
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