A Letter to Our Research Participants
COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our lives, including how we conduct research and how people participate in research. During these challenging times, we want to pause and thank our research participants for their part volunteering to help us advance health at MedStar. Below is a letter we are sharing with the thousands of research participants actively participating in clinical trials across the MedStar Health system.
Dear Valued Research Participant,
It's an extraordinary time for our communities, our nation, and the world. At MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI), our primary responsibility related to research is to protect the safety of our research participants and our research staff.
As we make every effort to observe the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” directive, we want to continue to keep your health and the delivery of your needs front and center during this unprecedented time. Our highly skilled research teams have processes in place to ensure the continuity of research while keeping you, the research participant, at the heart of everything we do.
Your participation in research remains very important to us. Research studies can often be modified so they can be conducted in a safe manner that protects you, researchers, and the community. There are several ways we try to minimize your risk. If possible, we will limit the number of times you have to come to a clinical care site or research site. We are screening every research participant for COVID-19 symptoms, and we are reducing the time spent in a clinical care or research site while keeping you a safe distance from others. We are moving toward remote data collection methods to the extent possible such as a change from an in-person visit to a telephone visit or other electronic methods for visits and follow-up. If your research study includes taking a study drug, it may even be possible to send your study drug directly to your home. Since your safety is our highest concern, in some cases, your research tests or visits may be cancelled, or your research study may be put on hold. We have asked our research team to reach out to every participant to discuss any potential changes with you.
The information related to risks of COVID-19 changes every day and we know there will be further challenges. We have implemented best practices for virtual working. We look forward to working through these challenges together and exploring new approaches as we continue to focus on your health.
We are heartened by your commitment for the important work we do in the face of such adversity and we thank you for your continued partnership. For questions or additional information on MedStar Health Research Institute's response during this time, please reach out to us at Research@medstar.net.
Sincerely,
Neil J. Weissman, MD
President, MedStar Health Research Institute
Thank you to the MHRI Administrative Staff for diligently stuffing envelopes, applying labels, and ensuring these letters reach our participants.
Dear Valued Research Participant,
It's an extraordinary time for our communities, our nation, and the world. At MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI), our primary responsibility related to research is to protect the safety of our research participants and our research staff.
As we make every effort to observe the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” directive, we want to continue to keep your health and the delivery of your needs front and center during this unprecedented time. Our highly skilled research teams have processes in place to ensure the continuity of research while keeping you, the research participant, at the heart of everything we do.
Your participation in research remains very important to us. Research studies can often be modified so they can be conducted in a safe manner that protects you, researchers, and the community. There are several ways we try to minimize your risk. If possible, we will limit the number of times you have to come to a clinical care site or research site. We are screening every research participant for COVID-19 symptoms, and we are reducing the time spent in a clinical care or research site while keeping you a safe distance from others. We are moving toward remote data collection methods to the extent possible such as a change from an in-person visit to a telephone visit or other electronic methods for visits and follow-up. If your research study includes taking a study drug, it may even be possible to send your study drug directly to your home. Since your safety is our highest concern, in some cases, your research tests or visits may be cancelled, or your research study may be put on hold. We have asked our research team to reach out to every participant to discuss any potential changes with you.
The information related to risks of COVID-19 changes every day and we know there will be further challenges. We have implemented best practices for virtual working. We look forward to working through these challenges together and exploring new approaches as we continue to focus on your health.
We are heartened by your commitment for the important work we do in the face of such adversity and we thank you for your continued partnership. For questions or additional information on MedStar Health Research Institute's response during this time, please reach out to us at Research@medstar.net.
Sincerely,
Neil J. Weissman, MD
President, MedStar Health Research Institute
Thank you to the MHRI Administrative Staff for diligently stuffing envelopes, applying labels, and ensuring these letters reach our participants.
