Clinical Research

As part of our commitment to advanced medical services, Adventist Health St. Helena participates in research studies and gives patients access to clinical trials.

Deciding to Take Part in a Clinical Trial

When you need treatment or a procedure, you may want to consider joining a clinical trial. Like all treatment options, clinical trials have possible benefits and risks. By looking closely at all options, including clinical trials, you are taking an active role in accessing innovative treatment options that may elevate your care.

Possible Benefits

• Access to a new treatment that is not available to people outside the trial.
• Close monitoring of your treatment by the clinical staff at Adventist Health St. Helena and the sponsoring research organization.
• If the treatment being studied is more effective than the standard treatment, you may be among the first to benefit.
• Trial sponsors may cover costs that are not covered by your insurance.
• The trial may help scientists learn more about your condition or the procedure, which may help people in the future.

Possible Risks

• The new treatment may not be better than the standard treatment.
• New treatments may have unknown side effects.
• You may be required to make more visits to the doctor than if you were receiving standard treatment. You may have extra expenses related to these extra visits, such as travel and childcare costs.
• You may need extra tests. Some of the tests could be uncomfortable or time consuming.
• Even if a new treatment has benefits for some patients, it may not work for you.
• Health insurance may not cover all patient care costs in a trial.

For more information about clinical trials, visit the clinical studies library of the National Institutes of Health.

Clinical Research at Adventist Health St. Helena

Adventist Health St. Helena currently participates in research studies in the following areas:

• Cardiology
• Orthopedics
• Oncology (cancer care)

Each clinical trial follows a careful study plan, or protocol, that describes what the researchers will do. Clinical trial coordinators work closely with physicians, patients and research sponsors to determine patient eligibility for inclusion into a study.