Breakthrough - Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation

Article
Understanding medical research & literature
by Hariett Patterson, MPH
Reprinted with permission from
The National Brain Tumor Foundation
When diagnosed with a serious
illness or disorder, many people want
to learn more about their condition and
possible treatments. At some point,
they may wish to consult medical
journals and read research articles to
find out about new treatment options.
However, complicated medical and
scientific jargon can be an obstacle to
obtaining vital information. By following
a few basic guidelines and learning
a few research terms, the world of
medical literature can become more
understandable.
To begin, it is helpful to know the
basic structure of scientific papers.
They generally begin with an abstract
(a brief summary). Reading the
abstract is a great way to get an
overview of what the author was
researching—the main question of the
study—and the results. The rest of the
paper will usually include the following
sections: an introduction or background,
methods, results, discussion
and bibliography.
The introduction or background
section discusses the reasons the
researcher was doing the study, and
typically cites the previous studies. The
methods section explains how the
study sample participants were selected
and how the study was conducted.
(For example, through personal
interviews or by examining hospital
records.) The results section gives the
data from the study and tends to
present a lot of numbers (percentages
and statistics). In the discussion
section, the researcher analyzes the
results in relation to the original
research question and draws conclusions.
The discussion section is generally
less technical than the other
sections of the paper. It can be a good
way to get a summary of the findings
and what they mean.
Remember that research findings
should be carefully interpreted. It is
helpful to look for information in
journals that are “peer-reviewed.” This
means that other scientists and researchers
in the field have had a
chance to read and evaluate the
studies before they are accepted and
published by the journal. Major medical
journals such as the Journal of the
American Medical Association
(JAMA) and the New England Journal
of Medicine are peer-reviewed.
Internet sites such as Medscape
(www.medscape.com) and Pubmed
(www.pubmed.gov) have directories
of peer-reviewed journals and allow
you to search by topic of interest.
Some Internet sites are not
reliable. If you read about a study on
the Internet that sounds interesting and
want to know more about it, it is a
good idea to search the major research
databases to see what they have
published on the topic.
Here are a few key terms and
definitions to get you started:
Clinical Trial – A research study
conducted with patients to scientifically
determine the effectiveness of new
treatments or to improve existing ones.
Each study tries to answer scientific
questions and to find better ways to
prevent, diagnose or treat diseases or
disorders.
Confidence Interval – A statistical
range of values for a particular
variable or characteristic, set up so
that the variable lies within that range.
(Example: The 95% confidence
interval for height is 5’9” to 6’. This
means that 95 out of 100 people will be
within that height range.) Generally,
the more narrow the confidence
intervals, the more reliable the study
results.
Control – An individual or group
used as a standard of comparison for
checking or verifying the results of an
experiment.
Double-blind Study – A type of
study in which neither the doctors nor
participants know who is receiving a
drug and who is receiving a placebo.
This method helps to assure objective
results by avoiding prejudice either for
or against a treatment.
Placebo – An inactive substance
given as a control (standard for
comparison) in an experiment to test
the effectiveness of a drug.
Qualitative Research – A study
with findings that are not arrived at by
looking at statistics. This type of
research generally looks at opinions
and personal viewpoints.
Quantitative Research – A
study that uses measurements and
statistical methods to identify causes,
make predictions, and determine if the
findings of a study can be applied to
the general population as a whole.
Randomized Control Trial – A
type of study where the participants
are randomly selected to receive either
a placebo or the treatment being used.
Sample – The group of people
that participate in a study. The sample
may be random or may represent a
particular population group.
These terms are a good starting
point to understanding medical research,
but the best way to become
more comfortable with scientific
research is to start reading.
Be sure to view the OI Foundation’s series of related fact sheets, including: Talking With Your Doctor,
Talking With Your Orthopedist, and How To Bring Out the Best In Your Health Care Team. These and
many other healthcare resources are available online at www.oif.org or by calling (800) 981-2663.
Page 19 Breakthrough Winter 2004