Age
Like any scientific experiment, a clinical trial is conducted with groups of people that are similar. For example, if researchers are testing a drug to treat diabetes, they will look for diabetics who volunteer for the study. This ensures that other factors, such as age, do not skew the results. The characteristics that qualify a person to participate in the study are called eligibility criteria. The reasons a person is disqualified from participating in a clinical trial are called exclusion criteria.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria vary from trial to trial. Some trials focus on a specific group, such as people over 75 years of age. Others may have a more general population, such as sarcoidosis patients.
Gender
All clinical trials have a set of standards, or criteria, for who can take part. These are called eligibility criteria and help to make sure that the groups taking part in the trial are as similar as possible. This makes it easier to understand and compare results from the study. Eligibility criteria may include factors like age, sex and the type and stage of a disease. They can also include details of any other medical conditions and medications you may be taking.
Disease
All clinical trials have guidelines, called eligibility criteria, about who can or cannot take part in the study. These are designed to help researchers choose a group of people that is as similar as possible, so that the results of the study will be as meaningful as possible. Eligibility criteria can include things like age, sex and the type and stage of a disease. Some may exclude people who have other medical conditions that could interfere with the trial or make its results difficult to interpret.
Health Conditions
All trials have standards that tell researchers what kinds of people can or cannot take part in the study. The standards are called Eligibility Criteria. They help to make sure that the people who volunteer to participate are similar so that the results of the trial will be valid and not affected by anything other than the new treatment being tested.