What does it mean to ‘do research’? (Part One)

Inquiry into a variety of clinical or theoretical medical and dental topics can employ quantitative, qualitative or both methodologies in the same study. It is time to expand the erudition of research, and it is at the medical and dental student level that such new points of interest must be established.

Until recently, the medical and dental sciences have been more concerned with treating the down stream problems, rather than up the stream etiology of disease. It is essential to focus on treating the systems and not just the symptoms. In order to appreciate that spectrum, it is necessary to acknowledge that research is at the forefront of such knowledge. To facilitate better understanding, diagnosis and treatment of our patients, doctors must appreciate and value research with an open mind and a quest for visualizing medical and dental research.

Basically, research is story telling; it is a methodical and organized inquiry into a theoretical subject or practical understanding of a subject. Research is used to (a) establish or confirm facts, (b) reaffirm results of previous studies, (c) solve new or existing problems, (d) support statements, and/ or (e) develop new theories regarding the hypothetical or practical milieu. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in order to test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, including replication of prior projects or development of new areas.

A classic explanation of the differences between the “theoretical” and “practical” disciplines of medical, dental and scientific research is the: (a) theoretical attempts to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness, while (b) practical struggles to make people healthy. These two areas are related but can also be independent from each other. It is possible to research sickness and health without curing a specific patient, and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure works.

The primary purpose of “basic” research as opposed to “applied” research is established in the documentation, discovery, development and interpretation of methods, systems or approaches. These research approaches depend on epistemology and vary considerably between the humanities and the sciences.

A primary distinction in scientific research is between a theory and the hypothesis: A theory is a collection of hypotheses that are logically linked together into a coherent explanation of some aspect of reality, which individually or jointly receives some empirical support. Hypotheses are individual and empirically testable conjectures. As a basic review, the three most common research approaches are outlined as follows:

I Quantitative research

II Qualitative research

• Phenomenology
• Ethnography
• Case Study
• Grounded theory
• Historical

III Mixed research

Rationale for research method appropriateness

For a very simple understanding, these three research methodologies (qualitative, quantitative and mixed) have been used to investigate a variety of issues, focusing on different aspects.

A quantitative approach is helpful to develop and employ mathematics, statistics and hypotheses pertaining to a problem. It uses measurements to provide the primary connection and expression of the quantitative relationships. A qualitative research approach is appropriate when gathering in-depth understanding of human and social behavior and the reasons for such behavior. It investigates the how and why rather than the when, what, or where of decision-making, as well as various reactions to, or perceptions of a particular phenomenon.

This approach might assume some commonality to the perceptions of human beings and how they interpret similar experiences seeking to identify, understand and describe these commonalities. The mixed approach has evolved as a pragmatic way of using the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. It is still in its infancy and is expected to become more popular in the next few years.

As a pragmatist and realist, I see the worldview of a research question for allowing the researcher to be open to (a) multiple methods of data collection, such as qualitative and quantitative sources; (b) focus on practical implications of research; and (c) emphasize the importance of conducting research that best addresses the research problem.