About Medical Research

Medical research is an important aspect of healthcare because it furthers the development of medicine and technology. If we didn't do research, we would not be able to find cures for diseases or understand which types of surgical techniques are more efficient and safer than others. Whether it's journal articles, posters, presentations or clinical trials, the research benefits patients and enlightens healthcare staff.

Function

• Going into the medical research field can be overwhelming because there are many different departments that need attention when it comes to determining alternatives and successful procedures. For example, you can choose to research topics related to orthopedic trauma, pediatrics, trauma, alcohol and drug dependency, etc. The purpose of researching these fields is to find out what techniques or procedures provide the patient with a better outcome. In order to increase the chances of patients keeping their legs or surviving cancer, for example, the physician and staff need to be knowledgeable on what options are out there.

Significance

• In order for hospitals to keep their accreditation, they have to meet certain research requirements. For example, as a level I trauma center, a hospital has to publish 20 articles every 3 years, but the articles have to be focused on different departments within the hospital. The American College of Surgeons verifies and confirms that these requirements have been met. If they have not been met, the hospital will have to stop servicing certain types of injuries and send the patients to hospitals that are qualified to care for them.

Time Frame

• It's important to get started on the studies so manuscripts can be written as soon as possible, because it can take a while for journals to publish them. Research is also dependent on grant funding. Sometimes there is only 6 months to collect the data and report on it. If your department relies on grant funding, you have to constantly be submitting grant proposals if you want to keep your job.

Types

• On the simplest level, medical research starts with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies and writing backgrounds for potential studies. Research can be turned into manuscripts for medical journals or posters or presentations for national conferences. There are many types of studies that can be done such as observational, retrospective, prospective, epidemiological, intervention, prevention, clinical, etc. When human subjects are involved in a study, your research department will have to get International Review Board (IRB) approval, and if a device is being used, it will be necessary to look into the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) level of approval for the device.

Misconceptions

• Just because a study has been published doesn't mean that you should take everything it recommends or suggests to heart. Often studies have limitations that can affect the outcome of their study. Just because a new technique worked in a sample size of 20 patients doesn't mean that the success rate of the technique will be the same in a sample size of 200 patients. This is why it's crucial to perform thorough literature reviews before concluding that one method is better than another.