Knowledge and Attitude Towards the Translation of Medical Research to Clinical Benefit Amongst Researchers in A Tertiary Care Hospital

• Main Authors: S Shanmugapriya, Deena Sangeetha, Ramalingam Sankaran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2017-12-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
• Subjects: clinical significance; ethics; practical applicability; statistical significance
• Online Access: https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/10976/30896_F(AP)_PF1(BT_PB_SG_AP)_PFA(RA_GG).pdf

Introduction: One of the primary goals of any biomedical researcher should be practical applicability or the translation of scientific discoveries to clinical care. Research that lacks potential for translation contributes to ineffective use of resources, time and manpower. Hence, it is important for researchers to be aware that the clinical significance should not be forgotten in the quest for a significant p-value. Aim: To assess the knowledge of researchers in ascertaining the practical applicability of his/her own research, to ascertain their motives in planning research and to evaluate the attitude of researchers towards the ethics of doing research that is less likely to translate into clinical benefit. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care medical college hospital in South India. Teaching faculty from clinical, pre and para-clinical departments were administered a questionnaire which included 14 questions. The questionnaire consisted of five knowledge and nine attitude questions. The responses were analysed qualitatively and expressed as frequency distributions. Results: A total of 60 researchers were included and given the questionnaire. The respondent rate was 32 (53.3%). Only 3 (9.4%) were completely aware of “translational research” while about 11 (34.4%) knew that research done by pre and para-clinical sciences could be both basic and translational. Also, 17 (53.1%) of participants were willing to do research that did not result in either immediate or direct clinical benefit. A small minority of 4 (12.5%) admitted that the focus of their research was to achieve statistical significance. About 10 (31.3%) of researchers surveyed and felt that research offered an opportunity for free treatment to patients and 5 (15.6%) felt that therapeutic misconception was acceptable. Conclusion: This study identified the gap between knowledge and understanding of the practical applicability of research and its ethical perspectives amongst researchers and hence, indicates the need for increasing awareness on the importance of assessing the translatability of one’s research.