How often will I need to visit the research site?
Visit frequency varies dramatically by study. Early-phase studies often require weekly or biweekly visits in the first 1-3 months, then monthly. Phase 3 chronic-condition studies typically settle into monthly or quarterly visits after an initial loading phase. Some studies use 'hybrid' designs with one in-person visit per quarter plus remote monitoring or telehealth check-ins between. Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) — increasingly common since 2020 — may require almost no on-site visits, conducting everything via home health visits, app-based assessments, and mailed lab kits. The coordinator will give you the complete visit schedule before you enroll so you can plan around it. Most studies build in some flexibility (a +/- 3 to 7 day window per visit) so you can fit visits around work and family. If transportation is a concern, ask whether the study uses pre-paid Lyft Concierge or Uber Health — many do.