Medical research methods

Author: Chen Kun, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: The progress of medical research has promoted the development of medical and health sciences. Medical research is becoming increasingly important: within the field of medicine, whether in clinical medicine (internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology) or in public health (disease control and prevention), there are numerous unknown questions that need to be clarified. The mysteries of life, aging, illness, and death that humans face still hold many unresolved enigmas waiting to be explored. In this pioneering activity of conducting medical research, the methodology of medical research itself is also gaining prominence. Medical research involves multiple stages, including topic selection, design, implementation, data processing and analysis, paper writing, and outcome presentation. Regardless of the branch of medicine or the form of research, these stages are common to all, which is why it is referred to as "Medical Research Methodology." This is also the practical need and scientific foundation for universities to offer "Medical Research Methodology" courses. To enhance the research thinking and theoretical level of medical workers and to better carry out medical research, guided by the principle that theory serves practice, we have compiled the book "Medical Research Methodology." This book is divided into twenty-one chapters, with the complete process of conducting medical research as the vertical axis. It extends from the general theory of medical research to various research designs, implementation, and evaluation, providing systematic introductions in each case. It includes an introduction chapter, four chapters on the basic principles, methods, sources of error, and control of medical research design (Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 7), ten chapters on various research designs and field study methods for clinical problems (Chapters 6, 8–16), two chapters on the nature of medical research data and general methods for analysis and processing (Chapters 2 and 7), two chapters on the collection and evaluation of medical evidence (Chapters 18 and 19), and finally, two chapters on topic selection, application, medical reviews, and the writing of research papers (Chapters 20 and 21).