Pre-screening is a short set of questions, usually five to fifteen minutes online or by phone, that checks whether you're likely to meet a trial's eligibility criteria before anyone asks you to attend a visit. It isn't consent, it isn't a medical assessment, and it doesn't enrol you in anything. It exists so you don't spend a morning at a clinic to be told you were never eligible.
What pre-screening is not
- Not informed consent. Consent happens later, in person, with a written form and time to consider it
- Not a medical opinion. Nothing you're told during pre-screening is a diagnosis or advice about your treatment
- Not a commitment. You can stop at any point, and answering the questions doesn't sign you up
- Not a test you pass or fail. Eligibility is about fitting one specific protocol, not about your worth as a patient
Why so many questions?
Every trial has eligibility criteria written into its protocol and approved by an ethics committee before recruitment starts. The site can't bend them. Those criteria typically cover your age, your specific diagnosis and how long you've had it, recent test results, current and recent medications, other health conditions, previous treatments you've tried, and other trials you've taken part in.
The questions that feel most intrusive are usually the safety ones. Medication lists matter because some drugs interact dangerously with an investigational treatment. Questions about other conditions matter because a trial in one disease can be unsafe for someone with another. Questions about previous trials matter because overlapping studies compromise both.
There's a blunter reason too: asking early is faster and kinder than asking late. Finding out at question seven that a medication rules you out takes two minutes. Finding out at a screening visit takes half a day, a blood test and a car park.
What happens to your answers?
Your responses are handled as health information under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. They're used to check your possible eligibility for the trial you enquired about, and shared with the research site if you look like a match and agree to be referred.
You can ask what's held about you, ask for it to be deleted, and decline to be contacted about future studies.
What happens after pre-screening?
If you look eligible: the research site contacts you, usually within a few business days, to talk through the study and book a screening visit. Consent happens at that visit, before any test. See what to expect at a screening visit.
If you don't: you'll be told. Being screened out of one trial says nothing about your suitability for another. Criteria differ enormously between protocols, and many people are ineligible for one study and a good fit for the next one that opens.
How to make it quick
Have three things in front of you before you start:
- A full medication list with doses, including over-the-counter medicines, supplements and anything you take occasionally. This is the number one cause of stalled applications
- Your diagnosis and roughly when you were diagnosed, plus any recent relevant test results if you have them
- Your GP and specialist details
Common questions
Do I need my doctor's permission to pre-screen? No. You can pre-screen yourself. If you go on to a screening visit, your GP or specialist is usually informed with your consent, and it's sensible to involve them early anyway.
How long until I hear back? Usually a few business days if you're a potential match. Chase it if you don't hear, because enrolment windows close.
Can I pre-screen for more than one trial? Yes. You can only take part in one at a time, but there's no harm in checking several.
Will pre-screening cost me anything? No. Nothing about taking part in a clinical trial should ever require payment from you.
Ready to start? Have your medication list open, give it ten minutes, and answer everything as precisely as you can. Approximate answers are the main reason someone eligible gets screened out by mistake.
