Clinical Trials Ontario

Participant Experience Toolkit

Participant Information & Support

Credible information about clinical trials is important to share with potential participants. Clinical Trials Ontario has worked with patients, the public, health charities, and patient organizations to develop trustworthy and credible information for patients and the public. Support is sometimes available at a site to help potential participants find clinical trials and to navigate the complexities of visits during a clinical trial.

General Information About Clinical Trials

  • Have a webpage dedicated to clinical trial information in easy to read language that includes basics about participation as well as other important information.
  • See the Resources section if you would like to link to CTO’s resources.

Supporting People Searching for a Trial at your Site

  • Incorporate a link on your organization’s webpage to point people looking for clinical trials to a trial search engine to help interested people find trials more easily.
    Have a designated person at your organization who can help an individual look for a clinical trial or learn more about trial site logistics.
  • See the Resources section if you would like to link to CTO’s resources.
  • Blogs have been written by participants, caregivers, family members, and clinical trial professionals about their views on and experiences with clinical trials. Sharing these experiences with participants can be helpful.

Supporting Participants at your Trial Site

  • Every participant will have different needs and concerns about attending a clinical trial visit. Asking a participant how to help them at the beginning of the trial, will allow you to best support each participant upfront (e.g., accessibility needs, caregiving requirements, lodging, transportation, etc). CTO has resources to help you engage patients and caregivers.
  • Incorporate a link on your organization’s webpage to help participants navigate the site visit as easily as possible (e.g., parking instructions, institution map, and directions, what to bring to a visit).
  • Blogs have been written by participants, caregivers, family members, and clinical trial professionals about their views on and experiences with clinical trials. Sharing these experiences with participants can be helpful.

CTO Resources Developed with Patients, Patient Organizations & Health Charities

  • Learn About Trials FAQs — easy-to-understand information about clinical trials based on where someone is in their decision-making process with respect to clinical trials (available in English & French).
  • Clinical Trial Finder — a search tool to help someone search for clinical trial opportunities in Canada (available in English & French).
  •  #TalkClinicalTrials blog series — experiences of people from the clinical trials community

Additional Resources

  • Some academic institutions and hospitals have resources to help patients learn about clinical trials, as well as search for trials that are open for enrollment at that centre.
  • Some centres also have dedicated support resources that can help patients find clinical trials. For example, the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network  has  a Clinical  Trials  Navigator  for  patients looking  for  trials. Additionally, calling a centre’s main phone number may direct inquiries on clinical trials to a dedicated navigator.

Note: This resource list is not exhaustive and listing a resource does not denote its endorsement or promotion.