10-10-21 - Science and Medicine

Question 1

Learning outcomes

Answer 1

• Summarise the scientific method
• Explain the importance of evidence-based medicine in the provision of care
• Comment on the effect of bias on scientific research
• Differentiate between primary and secondary research studies
• Explain the purpose of peer review
• Explain what is meant by an evidence pyramid

Question 2

How is evidence-based medicine applied in medicine?

Answer 2

• In medicine, we use the best evidence in scientific literature to provide the best care for an individual patient

Question 3

What are the 7 steps of the scientific method?

Answer 3

1) Observation/experiments
2) Explanation (hypothesis) which can be tested
3) Prediction
4) Experimentation and data interpretation
5) Confirmation (or not) of the hypothesis
6) Peer review
7) Publication (conference/academic journal)

Question 4

What are the 3 examples of Primary Studies?

Answer 4

1)	Direct experimentation
•	Invitro models:
•	Molecular biology
•	Cell and tissue culture
•	Isolated tissue and organs 

• In vivo testing:
• Animal models
• Volunteers
• Artificial control over biological variables

2) Clinical trials
• Drug treatments and follow ups

3) Surveys

Question 5

What are secondary studies?

What are the 3 different types?

Answer 5

• Secondary studies are research overviews
• The 3 types of research overviews are:
1) Review – expert summary of a number of research studies

2) Systematic review – objective analysis of all qualifying primary research studies
3) Meta-analysis – integrated analysis of the numerical data from all qualifying studies

Question 6

What is the purpose of the evidence pyramid?

What are 8 examples of layers in the evidence pyramid?

Answer 6

• Studies are assigned levels of evidence based on their methodology
• The evidence pyramid is an easy way to visualise the hierarchy of evidence
• The top of the pyramid represents the strongest evidence

Question 7

What is peer review?

What does this ensure?

What will this lead to?

Answer 7

• Peer review is the process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work or ideas to the scrutiny of anonymous referees, who are experts in the field
• This ensures that authors meet the standards of their discipline and of science generally
• This will lead to publication in an academic journal e.g Nature, Lancet, BMJ, Jama etc

Question 8

What 3 bodies can control/influence research?

What can this influence lead to?

What is bias?

What can bias in research cause?

Answer 8

• Funding bodies control research:

1) Pharmaceutical industries
2) Government
3) Charities

• This influence may lead to bias
• Bias is the inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something, especially in a way that is considered to be unfair

•	Bias in research can cause distorted results and wrong conclusions 
•	Such studies can lead to:
1)	Unnecessary costs
2)	Wrong clinical practise
3)	Eventual haem to the patient