Not quite on the agenda
Posted on Sunday 16th December 2007
I have always maintained that research doesn’t interest me. It struck me early on that research isolated doctors from their clinical duties and provided a distraction from patients. In the same way that some doctors are drawn to histopathology and radiology so they don’t have to talk to people, some are also attracted to academic medicine for the same reason. This held no fascination for me, as I still enjoy the challenge and interactions on ICU.
Inadvertently I have taken on the mantle of researcher. To start with I have submitted a review article on ECMO to one of the local journals. It has been provisionally accepted pending a few alterations and we anticipate publication in the new year.
One requirement of fellowship with the local intensive care college is completing a piece of original research. For some time now I have been planning a trial on the use of potassium supplementation for intensive care patients. Last week the hospital ethics committee approved the trial and we even managed to acquire some funding to pay for essentials like beer!
While this change in tack may not be entirely in the game plan it is no bad thing. The role of research is becoming increasingly important as practice is dictated by experience and study rather than anecdotes and conjecture. So it’s better to be in the loop rather than being left behind.
Pleased to know that the review artilce is accepted for publication and you got the ethics for your potassium project. I presume the ethics application process is not as long as we encounter in the UK. Any way I think getting a study to publication and obtaining ethics for another in one years time is a good achievement. Havent heard any thing on the case report yet but I am sure we should hear about it soon.