Healthy Volunteer

What’s a “healthy volunteer”

Someone with no known significant health problems who participates in research to test a new drug, device, or intervention is a “healthy volunteer” or “Clinical Research Volunteer”.

Research participants include healthy volunteers and patient volunteers

Healthy volunteers provide researchers with crucial data because their health information can be used as a comparison. In some studies, researchers need to compare healthy volunteers with people who have a specific disease or condition. Research with healthy volunteers is designed to develop new knowledge, not to provide direct benefit to study participants.

Healthy volunteers have always played a vital role in medical research. When developing a new technique such as a blood test or imaging device, we need clinical research volunteers to help us define the limits of “normal.”

These volunteers are recruited to serve as controls for patient groups. They are often matched to patients on such characteristics as age, gender, or family relationship. They are then given the same test, procedure, or drug the patient group receives. Investigators learn about the disease process by comparing the patient group to the clinical research volunteers.

Why are healthy volunteers needed for clinical research?

There are many reasons. When developing a new technique such as a blood test or imaging device, we need clinical research volunteers to help define the limits of “normal.” Healthy volunteers are often matched to patients so that certain characteristics such as age, gender, or family relationship, are similar. Healthy volunteers are given the same test, procedure, or drug that the patient group receives. Investigators learn about the disease process by comparing the patient group to the clinical research volunteers.