THE MANDATORY THESIS SUBMISSION IN MEDICAL POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION IS A FUTILE EXERCISE

Not every training doctor requires homework or imposed deadlines to develop valuable skills: the real focus should be on teaching doctors on how to read and understand research, by providing hands-on research training without the pressure of mandatory submission

- 

Modern medicine, as we practice it today, began with trial and error, and has evolved over time. Central to this process is the quality of research, which drives evidence generation. It is evidence—not just logic and gut feeling—that we rely on. Naturally, learning the art of research, to generate and understand emerging evidence, is paramount during the many years of medical education and clinical practice.

The importance of research to doctors in training

Asound knowledge of the intricacies of medical research is as important as knowing the functioning of the human body and the diseases that affect it. Gone are the days where medicine was practised based on anecdotes and personal experiences. With the ushering in of evidence-based medicine, the cornerstone of medical practice, is good quality and reliable medical research.

To put it simply, a simple antibiotic that is given to you for an infection is prescribed because it was found to be beneficial in clinical trials. Why a doctor chooses a particular test to diagnose a condition or orders a blood test for a patient is determined by the outcome of research. Therefore, a proper understanding of research is undoubtedly an essential tool in a doctor’s toolkit. This knowledge is also crucial to identify poorly-done research and avoid its futile or potentially harmful recommendations from turning into practice.

However, one of the greatest shortcomings of the Indian medical education system is the lack of structured teaching in medical research. As surprising as it may sound, not all doctors possess this skill set of not only conducting research, but also understanding and interpreting research.

ICMR to expand its Indian Clinical Trial and Education Network for bettering medical researchPoor research training - a multi-faceted problem