Is a clinical trial right for your child?

Clinical trials are organized efforts to find new and better ways to improve patient outcomes. This can include new medicines, devices or other ways to support a patient. To thank everyone who works on Clinical Trials and Research here at Children's Mercy, we're celebrating our first Clinical Trials Week. More than 1,000 members of our staff participate in the development and implementation of clinical research every year. Many more contribute by providing additional support to research teams such as: project development, laboratory and pharmaceutical services, financial and accounting support, consultation, and writing services.

If you’re considering a clinical trial for your child, remember:

• Participation in clinical trials is always voluntary and you can always change your mind.
• Not all clinical trials involve medicines and treatments. Many involve interventions to provide support during care.
• Not everyone is eligible for a clinical trial. Researchers can only enroll a person if they meet specific criteria. If your child is not eligible, you may ask questions to find out why.

Find frequently asked questions and a list of active clinical trials at www.childrensmercy.org/research.

Learn how you can support research efforts at Children’s Mercy here: http://www.childrensmercy.org/Health_Care_Professionals/Research/Support_Research/