Patient Involvement in Clinical Research

Patient-centered research is a powerful trend in clinical research in which patients and caregivers work with principal and co-investigators to craft studies tailored specifically to patients' experience. For example, who better to inform researchers about nausea during chemotherapy than cancer survivors? Patients and caregivers possess valuable information clinicians can use to produce research that will, upon dissemination of results, offer findings helpful to future patients. Organizations funding such research include PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute), which is a nonprofit, nongovernmental agency. Watch for news as current studies' results are published and findings implemented to improve quality of life for patients and caregivers.