Clinical Trials

Health Care Decision study

The Department of Health Systems Management is participating in a study examining how people with hypertension, arthritis, heart disease or diabetes make health care decisions. Results of this study will provide important information about how individual decisions are made to seek and follow through with prescribed treatments.

Participants will take part in a 90-minute interview at Rush about their past health care decisions and complete background questionnaires regarding their health and insurance coverage. No drugs or treatment will be administered.

Participants must meet the following criteria:

• Be between the ages of 65 and 67

• Be enrolled in Medicare

• Have arthritis, hypertension, heart disease or diabetes

This is a partial list of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants will receive compensation. For more information, contact Tricia Johnson at (312) 942-7107.

Liver disease and damage resulting from alcohol use

The Department of Gastroenterology is participating in a study on alcohol’s effect on intestinal lining in people with liver disease. Participants will complete a questionnaire, have blood drawn to test liver function, collect urine for one day and have an optional flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Participants must fit into one of the following groups:

• Healthy individuals with no liver disease or alcoholism

• Alcoholics who may or may not have liver disease

• Individuals who have liver disease but are not alcoholics

• Individuals who have had a liver transplant because of alcoholic-related liver disease or because of another kind of liver disease

This is a partial list of inclusion and exclusion criteria. For more information, contact Cynthia Lau, MD, at (312) 942-2845.