FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is my compensation for participating in the study?
2. How long do testing sessions take?
3. How many testing sessions will I be expected to complete?
4. Which study will I be part of?
5. If I decide to participate, am I obligated to complete the study?
6. I work during the workday. Is it possible to come in for testing in the evenings or on weekends?
7. What are the potential risks associated with participating in the study?
8. What are the potential benefits of participating in the study?
9. What types of things will I be asked to do in the study?
10. Will my current medical or prosthetic care be affected by participating in your research studies?
11. Can I participate in more than one research study (either within or outside the lab)?
12. With whom will my data be shared?
13. Will my personal and private health information be protected?

1. What is my compensation for participating in the study?

We compensate you $20-25/hour with a minimum of $50 per visit. If you live more than 30 minutes from our research lab on NC State’s Centennial Campus, we will compensate you for your total travel time (to and from our lab) minus 1 hour at a rate of $20/hr.

2. How long do testing sessions take?

Testing sessions typically last between 2-4 hours and vary by study and session-to-session.

3. How many testing sessions will I be expected to complete?

The total number of testing sessions vary by study. Some of our studies are short term and some are long term. We may ask you to come in for just one testing session or we may ask you to come in once a week or once every two weeks for a given amount of time.

4. Which study will I be part of?

We continuously conduct numerous studies for our lower limb prosthesis control systems. Based on the systems that are ready for testing at the time and your initial evaluation, we will discuss with you the options. You will not be asked to perform tasks you are uncomfortable with, and you can terminate your involvement at any time.

5. If I decide to participate, am I obligated to complete the study?

No. Your participation is always optional and you can decide to stop your participation at any time without explanation. If you decide to stop before the study is over, we will compensate you for your participation time.

6. I work during the workday. Is it possible to come in for testing in the evenings or on weekends?

Yes. If you are interested in participating in a study and you fit the subject criterion, we will do our best to work with your schedule. Testing on evenings and weekends is often possible for most testing sessions.

7. What are the potential risks associated with participating in the study?

The potential risks are minimal. You may feel some muscle soreness or general fatigue a day or two after testing sessions where we ask you to perform repeated locomotor tasks or where we ask you to exercise your residual muscles in a way that you are not used to. All of the sensors that we use during testing in our lab are non-invasive. For testing sessions where there is a risk that you may trip, slip, or lose your balance, we require you to wear a safety harness so you do not fall. If you have any concerns following your testing session, we ask that you contact us immediately, so we can properly address your concerns.

8. What are the potential benefits of participating in the study?

There are many ways that you could benefit from participating our studies. Benefits include: learning more about amputees and prosthetics, learning more about yourself and the way you use your prosthesis, feeling good knowing that you are helping move research forward that will one day benefit amputees like yourself by improving prosthetic technology, and becoming more involved in the amputee community at large, which includes amputees, prosthetists, physical therapists, doctors, and researchers like us.

9. What types of things will I be asked to do in the study?

The tasks that we will ask you to perform vary by study. We may ask you to do one or more of the following: walk on a treadmill, walk on level ground, walk up and down stairs and/or ramps, traverse obstacles, perform standing and sitting tasks, or use your residual muscles to control a device while seated or walking. Certain studies will require you to use an experimental prosthesis. Before we start your first testing session, we will require you to sign a consent form that covers everything that we might ask you to do throughout the course of the study. We will never require you to do anything that you are not comfortable with.

10. Will my current medical or prosthetic care be affected by participating in your research studies?

No. Before participating in our research studies, we will complete a screening process to confirm that it is appropriate for you to participate.  If at any time you/we have a concern that your medical and/or prosthetic care will be affected from your participation in our studies, we will require that you discontinue testing.

11. Can I participate in more than one research study (either within or outside the lab)?

Yes. However, we ask that you let us know about any research studies that you are currently enrolled in outside of our lab in case there are any conflicts. Within our lab, you can concurrently participate in more than one study if the studies do not interfere with each other (i.e. your participation in one study is likely to affect to outcome of another study). You can always enroll in another one of our studies after you are finished with the study you are currently enrolled in.

12. With whom will my data be shared?

We will only share your data with people directly involved in the research study. This includes people who work with us to collect, analyze, and discuss the data (e.g. graduate students, residents, prosthetists). We use subject identifiers in all of our data files. We keep your personal information and subject identifier in a locked filing cabinet.

13. Will my personal and private health information be protected?

If the study requires that we access your personal health information, we will ask you to sign a HIPAA agreement to protect the privacy of your medical records. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. You can learn more about the HIPAA privacy rule at www.HSS.gov/ocr/privacy/.