What Would You Say if Your Patient on a Clinical Trial Needs to Visit the Dentist?

Answer

B: Have your patient check with the research team before setting up a dental appointment.   

In addition, the oncology nurse must check with the research team prior to administering the investigational drug to be certain it’s still okay to give it. Any change in a patient’s status can impact the study plan, and not adhering to the protocol can affect outcomes for both the patient and the clinical trial. In this case, the treatment decisions must be left to the research team.  

For more information about considerations for patients on clinical trials, refer to "Care of Clinical Trial Participants: What Nurses Need to Know" from American Nurse Today.