Research and its Significance in Modern Medicine

Abstract

The importance of research in all fields of medicine, surgery and allied subjects has become part and parcel of postgraduate medical teaching. The high quality of medical care available to patients nowadays is `due to the years of hard work and sincere efforts by physicians, scientists, and other medical professionals to explore the causes of diseases and their potential treatments. The tireless effort of these professionals and rapid advancements in diagnosis and treatment has wiped many life-threatening diseases and conditions from this planet. The nature of such research includes the study of basic, clinical and applied research. 

It can be preclinical, clinical or Para-clinical in nature and diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic. 

Postgraduate medical educational strategies need to be fine-tuned to provide an excellent platform for postgraduates in a rapidly changing health care system. The postgraduates need to be supervised by highly motivated supervisors who have the zeal to pursue and conduct good research and act as role models for their students. An essential aspect of maintaining high standards in medical research is having an intramural or extramural research grant, which acts as a motivational factor for conducting good research. Each Medical university/college should have a well-established mechanism for reviewing postgraduate research proposals by an expert group. There should also be an Institutional Research Committee and Institutional Ethics Committee to review proposals submitted by Postgraduates.