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When a health research study is done with living people, it's called
clinical research.
No matter what is being researched, these studies will have what is called
selection criteria.
These are the rules that say who can be enrolled into the study.
There are two reasons that eligibility criteria are important.
The first is to make sure the study is as safe as possible.
For example, a person with a known allergy will be excluded from a study if
that allergy could increase their risk of a reaction to what is being
researched.
The second reason that selection criteria is important is to keep
research studies as focused and as useful as possible.
For example, a new cancer drug study
might only include patients in a certain stage of the disease, so that the
results can be accurately measured.
Limiting eligibility helps researchers achieve an accurate answer to their
research question.
Study selection criteria are established when a researcher is planning
a study.
Once a study has been approved and started, researchers must use the
established criteria to determine who will be enrolled.
If someone
wants to volunteer for study but is not enrolled due to the selection criteria,
it's important to remember the decision is not personal.
Researchers appreciate the interest and welcome that person to return for
future studies.
Each study has different criteria, so people are encouraged to check out as
many as they like.