Clinical Trials Provide Options for Financially Strapped Patients
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Sharon Espiritu has an irregular heartbeat. After losing her job -- and the medical insurance that went with it -- the condition went mostly untreated.
"I couldn't afford to go to the doctor. I couldn't afford to go every week and have my blood work. They charge you for blood work," she said.
Espiritu turned to a clinical trial for a new blood thinning drug at Baylor University Medical Center. She pays nothing for doctor visits or medication.
"Everything is provided by the research unit during the study," said Dr. Cara East, who heads the program.
Across the U.S., thousands of clinical trials are currently under way. Researchers are investigating new drugs, procedures and devices that might be future treatments for all kinds of ailments.
There are risks involved. Some studies reveal problems with new approaches.
"It may be that we might stop a study," East said. But even if that happens, East points out that patients have still been able to visit a doctor on a regular basis when they otherwise might have skipped medical treatment altogether.
There is another reason for joining a clinical trial. Participants are advancing medical science.
"You're making a difference. You're making an impact," East said.
Espiritu agrees. "To know that it's helping people? Oh, my goodness! It's great."
Espiritu said she can't imagine what her condition might be without the clinical trial.
"It's been a real blessing for me," she said.
To find a clinical trial, search this website run by the National Institutes of Health: www.clinicaltrials.gov
