Participate in a Trial
The truth is that without healthy, HIV-negative
individuals who are willing to volunteer for
clinical trials, the development of effective
HIV prevention methods is impossible. That is
because the only way researchers can determine
if a prevention method works is to test it in
people. Of course, having researchers test an
experimental intervention for HIV can raise
serious questions about safety - especially
with examples of biomedical research misconduct
from the not-so-distant past. Thus research is
a bit of a balancing act between the risks and
potential benefits of participating in
research.
First of all, participating in an HIV prevention clinical trial is a very personal decision. There are many factors to take into consideration before a person decides to volunteer for a clinical trial. For example, before anyone is enrolled into a clinical trial, they must be tested for HIV because only uninfected individuals can participate in preventive HIV clinical trials. Getting tested for HIV can have some serious implications for an individual - especially if the test comes back positive. In some cases, association with a biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial can cause an individual to experience the stigma and social discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS in general.
There are still many more questions to consider before joining a trial - is it safe, what is involved, what happens if I get hurt, what happens if the experimental intervention works? You should know up front that there are several mechanisms that have been developed over the years to protect the rights and safety of clinical trial volunteers (visit the Ethics page).
Anyone who is considering joining an biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial will be taken through a process called Informed Consent. This is when potential trial volunteers are provided any and all information about what volunteering means, including the purpose of the research, all procedures involved, any risks and/or benefits (if any) from participating in the trial, and the duration of the research (to list a few examples). To learn more, visit the Clinical Trials Process page.
To date, most people who have volunteered for biomedical HIV prevention clinical trials have done so out of a sense of altruism - or a desire to do something to help end the AIDS pandemic. These folks are the unsung heroes of HIV prevention research - the people who give of their own bodies with the hope that their participation will help speed the development of a safe and effective intervention for HIV/AIDS.
Check out our frequently asked questions page to get answers to the following questions:
1. What is involved in participating in an biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial?
2. Is participating in an HIV prevention clinical trial safe?
3. Is there an HIV prevention clinical trial in my community?
4. What happens if I am injured as a result of participating in a HIV prevention clinical trial?
5. Will I get paid for participating in a HIV prevention clinical trial?
First of all, participating in an HIV prevention clinical trial is a very personal decision. There are many factors to take into consideration before a person decides to volunteer for a clinical trial. For example, before anyone is enrolled into a clinical trial, they must be tested for HIV because only uninfected individuals can participate in preventive HIV clinical trials. Getting tested for HIV can have some serious implications for an individual - especially if the test comes back positive. In some cases, association with a biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial can cause an individual to experience the stigma and social discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS in general.
There are still many more questions to consider before joining a trial - is it safe, what is involved, what happens if I get hurt, what happens if the experimental intervention works? You should know up front that there are several mechanisms that have been developed over the years to protect the rights and safety of clinical trial volunteers (visit the Ethics page).
Anyone who is considering joining an biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial will be taken through a process called Informed Consent. This is when potential trial volunteers are provided any and all information about what volunteering means, including the purpose of the research, all procedures involved, any risks and/or benefits (if any) from participating in the trial, and the duration of the research (to list a few examples). To learn more, visit the Clinical Trials Process page.
To date, most people who have volunteered for biomedical HIV prevention clinical trials have done so out of a sense of altruism - or a desire to do something to help end the AIDS pandemic. These folks are the unsung heroes of HIV prevention research - the people who give of their own bodies with the hope that their participation will help speed the development of a safe and effective intervention for HIV/AIDS.
Check out our frequently asked questions page to get answers to the following questions:
1. What is involved in participating in an biomedical HIV prevention clinical trial?
2. Is participating in an HIV prevention clinical trial safe?
3. Is there an HIV prevention clinical trial in my community?
4. What happens if I am injured as a result of participating in a HIV prevention clinical trial?
5. Will I get paid for participating in a HIV prevention clinical trial?