Articles

The Research Participation Process

After you have prepared your self for participation and contacted a study of interest, these are the steps of participation. 

1. Initial screening

2. Informed consent 

3. Further screening and/or initial session

4. Study protocol & sessions

5. Final meeting

6. Follow-up(s)  


1. Initial screen: After you have contacted the researcher, they will respond back and set up a time to do an initial screening for the particular study you are interested in.  This is usually done over the phone and sometimes via email. 

The initial screen is where you get a brief explanation of the study, and if you are still interested after the brief explanation, the researcher will ask you a series of questions to see if you are eligible for the study. If you are not eligible, your information will be rid of and not kept on file for privacy reasons. 

2. Informed consent: The researcher will give you an in-depth description of what to expect during the course of the research study.  If you are willing to continue after knowing every detail that is involved, you would sign off on agreeing to participate in that particul ...

The Fear Associated with Research Participation

The idea of participating in a research study usually brings fear to the surface for most people.  Visions of being electrocuted for an evil scientist’s laughs or being the victim of misconduct pop into an individual’s head when they are approached for participation.

This shouldn’t be the case.  

Reacting with fear is naturally hard wired into our brains as a survival mechanism, and most people are bright enough to associate research with ‘testing things out’ or ‘looking into new methods’, which signals a threat to their survival.  While this makes sense on the surface, it is not necessarily the best perspective to have on research.  If you are looking into participating in a research study, usually the study has gone through extensive approvals and met numbers of regulations to be able to perform their research (especially studies on this platform).  

Institutions conducting research are required to have an Institutional Review Board or IRB, which is a committee of qualified individuals from different backgrounds including doctors, nurses, ethicists, and other community members whom ensure regulations are being met.  2 things top the list of requirements a study must meet from an IRB’s perspective. 

First, they ensure a study is not trying to prove or understand something we already know, such as a study investigating if sugar is sweet.  And more importantly, the IRB ensures p ...

Preparing to Participate in a Research Study

Preparing to participate in a research study 

1. Prepare for what to expect: reading an article like this is a great way on preparing yourself for the experience.  Albert Einstein said, “Know the rules very well, and then play the game better than anyone else.” Knowing what to expect can lead you to asking the right questions in the right state of mind so you can decide if participating in a particular study is right for you & society.  

2. Find a study that interests you: You can find research studies posted on bulletin boards near universities and medical campuses, on the radio, in your local paper, online, clinicaltrials.gov, etc.  

Usually a study ad will have a short description on who the researchers are looking for, general parameters for the study, and how you can get in touch. 

3. Getting in contact with the researchers:  This can prove to be difficult from time to time.  

What do I say? Ugh, I have to draft an email? They really want me to call them? Don’t they have a website??

Then, sometimes you put in the hard work, spend some time out of your comfort zone, and contact the researcher.  But then you don’t hear anything for a day, then a couple days, then it’s a week or two after you contacted them and you’ve lost interest in the idea of participating. “That was so last month me.”

Studdy Buddy can solve the issues related to m ...

How YOU Can Make a Difference

“…Nearly 80% of clinical trials conducted in the United States must extend enrollment by at least one month beyond the study completion period.”

Getz, K. “Meeting and Extending Enrollment Deadlines”  PARAXEL Pharmaceutical R&D Statistical Sourcebook 2000. P. 104. 

 

Studdy Buddy was born out of a need of recruitment aid for research studies.  The general population does not seem interested in participating in studies despite the immense societal benefits.  Research is how we—as a society—generate generalizable knowledge that contributes to medicine and treatment of disease.  New medicines generated 40 % of the gain in life expectancy over the past 25 years, but only about 2% of the United States population gets involved with clinical trials.

Read more

The American Preoccupation: A weight-loss study experience

One lovely afternoon, I was scrolling through facebook and came across a post in a JHSPH student group looking for individuals to participate in a weight-loss study. I fit the study criteria and found the person’s face in the profile picture to be quite symmetrical, so I contacted her and did a phone screen. Coincidentally, we met in the building I was conducting a research study in at the time, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. 

After I signed the consent form, the researcher took my height, weight, and waist measurements. I completed several questionnaires regarding exercise and nutrition, and later I was able to locate the published paper and identify the questionnaires. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire asked about my physical activity and the National Cancer Institute’s Automated Self-Administered 24 asked about my nutrition. Self-efficacy was evaluated via the Self-Efficacy for Healthy Eating Scale and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale. The questionnaires generally asked about my eating habits and the extent of my physical activity per week. I was asked about everything I had eaten in the past 24 hours, my belief in making better food choices in various situations, and my belief in my ability to exercise in certain situations. 

We then discussed healthy eating, increasing physical activity, and limiting unhealthy behaviors. I love talking about personal development, especially health and wellness, so I very much enjoyed thi ...

Closing Time: A research study experience on Desoxyn and sexual decision making

My first overnight study was both extremely enjoyable and very odd. Among other things, the researchers were testing the truth of the old lyrics, “Don’t the girls (and boys) all get prettier at closing time?” Does inebriation cause shifts in our sexual decision making and risk tolerance?

This was my second time screening for this study or for a very similar one with the same researchers and principal investigators (PIs). About a year before I was told I didn’t qualify for the study. Sometimes researchers need to change their inclusion criteria for various reasons including to achieve the full number of subjects needed.

The screening process was very rigorous. I received an EKG, blood test, drug test, and an extensive health screening; all to ensure I was healthy enough to take the FDA approved drug Desoxyn, which is a legal form of methamphetamine used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD, and to aid in weight loss. I also completed various questionnaires regarding drug use, sex, and sexual behavior.

Once these tests were complete, I was ushered into a room with pictures of 30 men and 30 women on a wall. I was told to select which of these people I would have sex with in a casual scenario; pretending I didn’t have a partner, the person was willing, and there was no chance of pregnancy. I picked 6 women from the wall, and out of those 6, I was asked to choose the person I most wanted to have sex with, the person I least wanted to have sex with, the perso ...

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