Introduction to Health Science Research

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH 1
Introduction to Health Science Research
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INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH 2
Introduction to Health Science Research
Health Science Research is an essential field that plays a significant role in enriching
medical practice and developing solutions in healthcare. Research is defined by both the
Accountability Act and Privacy Rule and the Common Rule. Research is systematic survey that
entails developing testing and study evaluation (Aschenbrenner & Venable, 2009). The study is
designed to add up to knowledge that can be generalized. The definition is broad and includes
research in biomedicine, health services, and epidemiological studies. The study entails
economic, social, and political factors that affect health (Aschenbrenner & Venable, 2009).
Research in health care is highly valuable to the society and to the people that carry it out. Such
studies assist in the provision of information about trends in infections and diseases, patterns of
care and the use of options of healthcare for treatment. Studies are essential for the sake of
monitoring treatment outcomes and public health interventions as well as functional abilities.
Research has led to the realization that there are disparities in the healthcare sector, which
have made it impossible to access care in the inner cities and in the rural areas leading to poor
outcomes in healthcare (Aschenbrenner & Venable, 2009). Records in medical research have
shown that services geared towards prevention for instance mammography, have reduced the
morbidity and the mortality of patients at reasonable costs. The practice has established a causal
link connecting shortage of nurses to outcomes of patient health (Lakea et al., 2017). The
practice documents the fact that hospitals that have few numbers of registered nurses keep their
patients longer compared to facilities that have large numbers of patients. Research in nursing
indicates that patients in hospitals with fewer numbers of registered nurses are likely to remain
hospitalized longer and have a high affinity to suffering complications (Aschenbrenner &
Venable, 2009). Some of the common health complications due to hospitalization include

INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH 3
gastrointestinal bleeding and urinary tract infections. The findings have informed and influenced
health policies and decisions.
The various approaches to research offer complementary insights to healthcare. Clinical
trials can offer essential information concerning the adverse and efficient effects of medical
interventions by the control of the variables, which can affect the outcome of the study
(Aschenbrenner & Venable, 2009). However, research from the real world clinical experience, is
essential for the comparison and the improvement of use of vaccines, drugs, diagnostics and
medical devices (Lakea et al., 2017). For the approval of a drug for a particular indication is
founded on a series of clinically controlled trials. The tests take place with a few thousands to a
hundred patients (Mukasa, 2015). After the approval of the drug, it may be utilized in other
clinical settings for patients in many clinical settings and circumstances.
Tracking clinical experience with the drug under test is essential for the identification of
relatively rare effects that are adverse in nature. Tracking allows the medical practitioners to
know how the different kinds of drugs work for the different kinds of populations (Battié, 2013).
Clinicians need to assess and record the experience in clinical practice for the development of
guidelines for the best practice to ensure high quality of patient care (Aschenbrenner & Venable,
2009). The development of Herceptin as medication for the treatment of breast cancer is an
example of the benefits that accrue from research by the use of biological samples and the
records of the patient (Merrifield, 2016). Many other examples from the field of medical care
have altered the progression of medical care. Such research underpins the estimation that posits
that more than 10,000 Americans die every year because of medical errors performed in the
hospital setting (Aschenbrenner & Venable, 2009). Research has enabled a reduction in the