Distinction Of Medical Research Into Primary And Secondary
There are two distinct types of medical research, primary or basic research and secondary research. Under primary or basic research, there are three main kinds;
a) Clinical Studies:
Clinical study includes experimental and observational studies. A clinical experimental study is the study performed on human being to ascertain pharmacological effects of a drug, the main focal areas being the drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and side effects. These points provide clear information on the effectiveness and safety of a drug. Not only drugs can be experimented on human beings. Other medical implements such as those used in surgery or physically are also experimented on.
Observational studies are carried out through observation. These are individual-centered therapies. After diagnosis, the researcher specifies which therapy the patient will be put on. These kinds of study include prognosis studies observational drug studies and single case studies.
Strict legal and ethical requirements have been laid down by responsible governments and ethical committees to ensure that any clinical experiments planned to be carried out meet certain set standards. Such studies must be registered by appropriate agencies.
A clinical study is planned out carefully, with clear specification of every detail and methods involved. Data collection, the main object of any study, must be monitored and handled well. Data quality is important and in most studies, double entry of data is common to ensure that the right data is used.
b) Basic Medical Research:
Also referred to as experimental research, basic medical research is carried out in animals. The study also includes studies on drug properties, biochemical and genetic investigations. In such a study, if for animals, the population, case numbers, groupings treatment and dosage must be specified for ease of the investigation being carried out and for the final result to be reliable. Procedures for development and improvement of analytical systems also form part of basic research. These procedures include imaging procedures, magnetic resonance imaging, statistical test procedures and evaluation procedures are also part of basic research.
Clinical studies assign therapy to patients in several ways;
a. Randomization: In randomization, treatment therapies are not chosen for the patient, they are selected by chance by using random numbers. This can also be done by computer algorithms. If there are several group of patients involved, using this method ensures that each group is well balanced and homogeneity between the groups. This also eradicates the possibility of one group being composed of say, a particular age group, which may affect the research result.
b. Blinding: This is where the patient is not made aware as to what kind of treatment he / she is receiving. Double blinding is at times applied. In double blinding, both the patient and the researcher do not know the kind of treatment the patient is planned to receive. For study result to be accurate, a high degree if blinding has to be attained. Blinding is at times necessary to avoid any possible subjective influences on the study. Ideally, blinding remains until study findings have been concluded.