Medical academia is failing patients and clinicians

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7546.863

BMJ 2006;332:863-864 (15 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7546.863

Editorial

Medical academia is failing patients and clinicians

By neglecting basic observational clinical research

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The need to facilitate clinical research is widely recognised¹²—particularly translational "bench-to-bedside" researchand randomised controlled trials of interventions. Indeed, theinfluential report of the Academy of Medical Sciences on StrengtheningClinical Research concentrated purely on these two areas.² However,there is another even more neglected field of clinical research,which arguably has greater potential to improve clinical outcomes,certainly in the short term: basic observational research necessaryfor effective clinical practice.

It is common to find, for example, that although much is knownabout the molecular pathology of a condition, little is knownabout the reliability of clinical diagnosis, or about prognosisand the factors that affect it. Yet, these issues are of mostconcern to patients and clinicians: How certain can you be aboutthe diagnosis, doctor? What are the risks of a poor outcomeover the next few weeks/months/years? How do my particular characteristicsinfluence the . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter M Rothwell, professor of clinical neurology

Stroke Prevention Research Unit, University Department of Clinical Neurology, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE
(peter.rothwell@clneuro.ox.ac.uk)

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Rapid Responses:

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We should value case reports and case series also: David A Henry
bmj.com, 14 Apr 2006 [Full text]
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