Why take part in a clinical trial or research study

When you take part in research, you help us improve how we provide health care. You might try new treatments or help us to learn more about your experiences. It also can help treat other people with the same disease or condition. You’d also be taking a more active role in your health care.

Our commitment to you

Our clinicians and researchers will:

  • only ask you to take part in a research study if it’s right for you
  • always respect your rights, safety, dignity, wellbeing and confidentiality
  • make sure you receive full details about the study and can ask questions at any time
  • make sure your decision not to take part in a research study won't impact your treatment.

What it involves

Research can be something as simple as an interview or questionnaire. It can also involve:

  • letting researchers review your medical history
  • giving blood, urine or tissue samples
  • testing a new medicine or medical treatment – we call this a clinical trial.

How to take part

If you’d like to take part in a research study, get in touch with us. You can also search the research activity database (DoRA) on the Queensland Health website.

Your part in the research will depend on the research study. Each study is different.

Consent

You'll need to sign an informed consent form before we enrol you in a research project. We'll explain any known risks and benefits before you agree to take part.

Before you agree, you need to know the following so you can decide if it's right for you:

  • what the research is for
  • how long it will take
  • about all the procedures and appointments
  • who the main contact people are.

You can ask your doctor or another clinician any questions about the research. Don't be afraid to ask about anything that you don't understand.

Risks

Each study has different risks.

You’ll get a participant information sheet from the research team that lists any risks. You can ask questions about the these and decide whether you want to take part.

You can change your mind

Taking part in research is voluntary, you can change your mind at any time. It won’t affect your treatment, and you'll continue to get the best care we can offer.

Costs

It doesn’t cost anything to take part in a clinical trial or research study. They’re usually sponsored by government agencies, universities, medical centres, pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers.

You may need to have extra health appointments for the research which will require a time commitment and transport costs. We aim to limit this as much as we can.

Clinical trials

A clinical trial is a form of research where people volunteer to evaluate new treatments, interventions or tests. They help to prevent, detect, treat or manage diseases and medical conditions.

Take part in a trial

Before you decide to take part, you should talk to your doctor. They can help you decide if a trial is the best option for your health and treatment. Trials are also strict about who can take part.

The average trial can last up to 12 months, but some run for a few years.

To find out more about trials, you can:

Teletrials

A teletrial is a clinical trial brought closer to home. This means that your local health centre can offer access to treatments and appointments, with help from a health professional anywhere in Australia.

Find out about teletrial program on the Australian Government website.

Become a consumer research partner

Our consumer research partners are people from our community that help us design and improve our research.

You could be involved with:

  • helping researchers to plan and design a project
  • designing research questions
  • sharing results of published research in your community
  • reviewing research grant applications
  • giving feedback.

You could also be paid as a research partner, depending on the research sponsor.

We can link you with staff doing research in an area that interests you.

You don’t need any experience in research, you just need to be open to sharing your ideas and working in a team. We invite everyone to get involved.

How to become a partner

Get in touch with our team to discuss your interest areas and how we can help you be involved.

You can also:

Get in touch

If you'd like more details on taking part in research, call 0447 678 599 or email torres-cape-research-governance@health.qld.gov.au.

If you want to know more about clinical trials email tchhs-clinical-trials@health.qld.gov.au.

You can give feedback or make a complaint using our online feedback form.

If you’re already taking part in research, you can get in touch with your research team. Check the participant information sheet the research team member gave you during the consent process.

Last updated: May 2025

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