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• Medical Research
• Types Of Medical Research
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• Distinction Of Medical Research Into Primary And Secondary
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Types Of Medical Research

There are many different types of medical research involved in the identification and treatment of disease. Research can be categorized into two main areas of primary and secondary research and many sub categories within these two headings. Primary research deals with the main portion of research and includes clinical trials, observation and evaluation. Secondary research is the on-going study of medicines and disease and involves regular reviews and the long term effects of medication. Research is also devoted to the prevention and diagnosis of different diseases and the development of drugs and vitamin supplements.

Here are the main types of medical research:

Observational

This form of research is concerned with following the same group of people over a set period of time. This can lead to scientists gaining better knowledge on the progression of certain disease in humans and also what type of person is more likely to develop a specific illness.

Epidemiological

This is related to observational studies and involves following the pattern and progression of disease and its history. Studies can be conducted on a certain group of people or even over different countries and territories. Epidemiological studies can observe the distribution of disease throughout a population and what factors can help or hinder its progression. It can involve observation of two groups of people where one group is exposed to a certain chemical and recording the difference between them and other control groups. A control group is a number of people who may or may not be administered drugs to in order to allow study and comparison of its effects.

Intervention

Intervention involves observing the effect of certain lifestyle changes on the likelihood of developing a disease or its progression. An example of this would be the link between smoking and lung disease and calculating the increased risk of smokers to suffer from cancer or other related illnesses.

Prevention

Preventive medical research looks at ways to prevent the chances contracting a disease and slowing its progression. This can involve a number of different areas such as lifestyle change and also how the use of vitamins and minerals can protect against certain diseases. Preventative medicine is useful when attempting to reduce the chances of family members developing hereditary diseases.

Diagnostic

Diagnostic research is extremely important as the early diagnoses and treatment of many diseases will result in a much better chance of survival for the patient. This form of research looks at better methods of disease diagnosis and limiting the amount of invasive procedures needed to determine the strain of disease. This is also useful when attempting to diagnose disease in children whilst they are still in the womb and allowing for screening of certain hereditary diseases.

There are many other forms of research that are related to these main examples. Medical research is as varied and complicated as the diseases they are designed to treat, and research is evolving in its methods all the time. Without the study of disease and medicine we would not be able to combat the spread of disease throughout society or understand the effects certain medicines have on our health and well-being.