November 8, 2004
New audiovisual program educates patients about clinical trials
As patients and families weigh decisions about whether or not to enter a clinical trial, they can now learn from other patients and caregivers by watching a new video being offered both on VHS tape and on DVD. "Entering a Clinical Trial: Is It Right for You?" is available for patients and families considering whether to take part in a study testing a new drug or therapy.
During the 21-minute presentation, doctors and nurses explain what a clinical trial is, describe its three phases, clarify how a patient's safety and health are protected while participating in a trial, and reassure patients that it's OK to say no or to withdraw at any time. "The doctor is the expert in the disease and its treatment, but the patient is the expert in his or her own life," Lidia Schapira, MD, an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, says on the video.
For example, one patient interviewed says, "If [the trial] works, doctors learn something. If it doesn't work, they still learn something." Another patient, John, describes how he enrolled in the same clinical trial as a friend who had the same type of cancer. After his friend died, her husband told John, "I hope that my wife's treatment helped you live, and your treatment helps others live."
The audiovisual program and an accompanying booklet were produced by Dana-Farber in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital, MGH, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Members of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and other institutions that offer cancer clinical trials can use the materials; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Subjects Research Enhancements Program provided funding. A gift from the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will support the distribution of the video program to patients.
