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Modern Medical Research
Jim Sterling
Medical research is basic research and applied research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine. Medical research can be divided into two general categories; new treatments that are tested in clinical trials, and all other research contributing to the development of new treatments.
New Medical Treatments
These refer to any form of previously untested treatment for a particular pathology. This can take the form of a new surgical procedure, a new drug, or a new treatment regimen. These are extensively tested in clinical trials prior to widespread use.
Other Medical Research
New medical treatments come about as a result of other, earlier discoveries - often unconnected to each other, and in various fields. Sometimes the research is done for non-medical purposes, and only by chance contributes to the field of medicine as was the case with antibiotics and penicillin. Medical researchers use these discoveries to create a treatment regimen, which is then tested in clinical trials.
If these trials have been well designed and are successfully duplicated by independent laboratories or field trials, then the papers are reviewed by an independent body such as the Cochrane Collaboration to serve as an authoritative source of clinical guidance. Regrettably the majority of research trails published today are done or sponsored by the very same companies who have developed the drug or medical device. Moreover they are frequently poorly designed and executed and exhibit bias therefore many papers are not necessarily reliable. Although each new publication of a survey is often greeted with a sycophantic fanfare of trumpet blowing, few professional medical researchers would change their treatment protocols solely on the bases of just a few research papers. Thus, doctors have expressed their despair when patients bring in printouts of the latest research downloaded from the Internet with the high expectation that it will make a significant difference.
Medical Research Funding
Research funding in many countries comes from research bodies which distribute cash for equipment and salaries. In the UK, funding bodies such as the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust derive their assets from UK tax payers, and distribute this to institutions in a competitive manner.
Copyright 2005 www.preciscia.com
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