Participating in clinical research provides patient volunteers with an opportunity to take an active role in their recovery and combat feelings of helplessness related to their illness or condition.  Participation also allows patients and healthy volunteers a chance to contribute toward the advancement of science. There are a number of benefits to participating in clinical trials, and research centers are always looking for volunteers, but you may not be eligible for every study. 

Each clinical trial has predetermined characteristics a person must have or not have to determine who is eligible to participate. It can be disappointing to learn you are not eligible to join a clinical trial, but eligibility criteria are important for ensuring that trial participants are representative of the target population. If you’re wondering why people may not be able to participate in a research study, read on. 

Here are 10 reasons why people may not be eligible to join a clinical trial:

  1. Age – Specialized clinical trials are designed for children, adolescents, and elderly people because they require treatments and medications that are safe for their physical vulnerabilities.  
  2. Other demographic information – Some clinical trials studies are designed to study the effects of a medication or treatment on a specific population, such as those with a sedentary lifestyle or those with African-American DNA.  If you are not a member of the population being studied, you may not qualify for this particular study. 
  3. Smoker / nonsmoker – Volunteers who smoke may be ineligible for certain clinical trials because of the effects of smoking on the immune system.  Other trials may want smokers or former smokers only. 
  4. Diagnosis – Some clinical trials require a specific diagnosis verified by a medical practitioner before patients are determined eligible to participate. If you do not have this diagnosis, you may not qualify.  Or, if you do have a particular diagnosis, it may disqualify you from certain studies. 
  5. Current health – Depending on the study, certain health conditions may skew the study data or put your health at risk. 
  6. Current treatments and medications – Current treatments or medications you may be taking could interfere with the research and therefore exclude you from the trial. 
  7. Recent vaccinations – If you have recently been vaccinated, you may be determined ineligible for a study until sufficient time has passed. 
  8. Body mass index (BMI) – Depending on the study, eligible participants may need to be over or under a certain BMI. 
  9. Pregnancy – Because of the vulnerable nature of pregnant women and infants, pregnancy is often an exclusion factor for clinical trials.  Other trials may be exclusively designed for women who are pregnant. 
  10. Ability to attend study visits – Clinical trials are designed around the participation of volunteers.  If you are not able to attend the study visits, you may be ineligible to participate.

Ineligibility is not the end of the road. 

Every study is different.  And every phase of every study is different. If you have been told you are not eligible based on the criteria of a specific trial, ask the research team what disqualified you. You may be told you’ll qualify for a later phase or another trial altogether. If a health condition or illness is the reason for your ineligibility as a healthy volunteer, you may be able to find a clinical trial for your specific condition. 

Paid research trials for healthy people and patients in San Diego 

Synergy Research Centers is the leading clinical trial center in San Diego County offering investigational medicine studies in both outpatient and inpatient settings. In the last 24 years, we have evaluated countless participants and conducted numerous studies related to psychiatric disorders and other neurological medical conditions. If you or a loved one is interested in participating in one of our clinical research studies, please fill out the contact form or call us at (888) 539-0282 today.