HHS HealthBeat (February 25, 2008)

Seniors and clinical trials

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Researchers are working on ways to help older people with medical problems, and older people can help researchers do it by taking part in a clinical trial.

A clinical trial is a research study, so there are benefits and risks. It uses people to find out if an experimental treatment, lifestyle change, or test works against a disease – or works better than what’s already available.

The National Institutes of Health has a new Web site to help seniors look into whether participating in a clinical trial is right for them. At the NIH’s National Library of Medicine, Joyce Backus explains the site’s goal:

"Seniors will have a better idea about what it means to participate in a clinical trial and also the special things they might need to consider before consenting to participate in a clinical trial." (9 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 25 2008