Clinical Trials

The clinical trials offered at The Reading Hospital give patients access to cutting edge treatments without having to travel far from home. Because of the Hospital’s dedication to clinical research and affiliation with various national organizations, we are able to provide patients in our community with the opportunity to participate in the same research studies being offered at large university hospitals throughout the country.

A clinical trial is a research study designed to answer specific health questions. Clinical trials rely on human volunteers in order to carefully and safely evaluate new treatment options and ways to improve health in a controlled setting. Each clinical trial has different guidelines for who can participate, and follows specific protocols.

For patient safety, each protocol must be approved by the organization that sponsors the study and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the Hospital. The IRB, which includes consumers, clergy and health professionals, reviews the protocol to try to be sure that the research will not expose patients to extreme or unethical risks.