• Contact us
• About us
  • > Our Policies and SOPs
  • > Our Research Strategy
  • > Our research
  • > Core facilities to support research
  • > Taking part in research - Patients and public
• The Approval Process
• Costing research
• Patient recruitment
• Research into practice
• Compliance with the regulations
• Public Funding for Research
• Freedom of Information
• Training
• R&D News Bulletin
• Clinical Research Centre
• Human Tissue Resource Centre
• QM Information Security
• Barts Health merger: research governance information
• Research Policies and Procedures (SOPs)

Taking part in research - Patients and public

If you are asked to take part in a research project this may involve:

• Being in a clinical trial and testing a new way of diagnosing, preventing or treating a disease
• Filling out a questionnaire
• Giving samples of blood, skin or other tissue
• Taking part in a focus group with other patients, carers or members of the public
• Being interviewed by a researcher to get your views or experiences.

Whatever research you take part in you should always be given a patient information sheet and a consent form. The patient information sheet tells you about the research, what it involves, how much time it is likely to take and any of the risks and benefits of taking part. You should always be given time to read this and discuss it – you may want to talk about it with your family or your GP for example. Ideally the researcher will give you at least two days to think it over. If you don’t understand any of the information on the sheet then ask for an explanation, you should always make sure that you only say yes if you are sure that you understand what the research will involve.

Taking part in research can be a very positive experience. However you should remember:

• Taking part is voluntary. If you say yes and change your mind later that is okay.
• If you don’t want to take part then this will not affect your routine healthcare.
• Information you give as part of the study that might be traceable back to you should not be passed on to anyone outside the research team without your permission.
• You are entitled to know what the results of the research are.

The National Electronic Library for Health have produced some excellent information for the public on taking part in clinical trials. Download the information from this website www.nelh.nhs.uk/clinicaltrials/.