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    ISSN : 2693 6356 

2018 | Vol 1 | Issue 1 

ISSN 2693-6356 
The best ROI may be found in high-quality research. 

Sandeep kowkuntla . 
 Bangalore, Karnataka, India Director, Scientific Angle Publication 

 
 

Abstract : Both the economy and healthcare have benefited greatly from medical research.   Economically, 

medical research has made significant contributions to society, particularly in the areas of direct cost savings in 
healthcare and maintaining a healthy workforce.a wholesome community, successful drug research and 

development, etc [1].ality research has the potential to significantly lessen the prevalence of illness and its 

related costs. In the United States, for instance, the overall death rate has dropped from 842 per 100,000 in 1950 
to 479 in 1997. The percentage of people who survive cancer after five years has increased from 35% in the 

1950s to 62% in the 1990s. Research has made a significant contribution to these successes [2].Economic 

rewards for medical research are substantial, in addition to the obvious health benefits. The $31.8 million spent 
on creating the hepatitis B vaccine saved $346.6 million to $462.1/year in healthcare costs by reducing related 

deaths. Research may have an effect not just through leading to the creation of new goods like the hepatitis B 

vaccine, but also by elucidating the causes of diseases and suggesting new ways to cure them. Savings in 
treatment costs of $402–804 million per year were realized by a study that compared medicinal therapy with 

surgery in the population in whom coronary artery bypass grafting may possibly be avoided, whereas the 

research cost was only around $36.5 million [2]. 
 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION 

All the above was possible because of high 
quality 

support, funds, appropriate training, career 
opportunities, collaborations, informed 
health policies, improvement in public health 
awareness and improvement in public behaviour [3]. 

 

Health research training is an important 
component of healthcare research infrastructure 
as the rapid progress in the  is expected to 
transform biomedical research. Physician-
investigators or physician-scientists have a major 
role in translating the basic research to therapies 
useful in patients. However, the number of 
physician-scientists is decreasing all over the world 

[4]. 
 

Unfortunately, the ground reality of research 
training and attitude is very poor in India. Several 
Indian studies stand in evidence of poor attitude 
and training in India. In a study by Rani et al.[5] 

(done at a medical college in South India), 
although about 68% of undergraduate medical 
students were interested in research only about 
9% actively participated. Lack of knowledge of 
research methodology was the most important 
reason for non-participation followed by time 

 
support[5]. 

 

of students participated to a minimal or 
unsatisfactory levels with respect to research 
report writing and presentation. The learning 

 time experience for 
close to 91% of participants. More than half of the 

participants reported that their priority during the 
period of internship was preparing for post- 
graduate entrance test rather than learning research 
[6]. 

 



 

Studies on attitude of Ayurvedic practitioners 
towards research are lacking. However, it can't be 
denied that 
research over 
Ayurveda. Government has created institutes like 
Central Drug Research Institute, Regional 
Research Laboratory, Jorhat (RRLJ), Central 
Council for Research in Ayurveda and Sidha, and 
the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha 
and Homeopathy (AYUSH), etc. to promote 
research in alternate medicine. Most of the 
research has focused on development of new 
medications. In future, there is a need for research 

 Ayurveda [7]. 
 

In spite of all the efforts to promote research in 
alternate medicine, poor research practice is also a 

the study population is usually small. In addition, 
improper statistical methods and lack of 
consistency in treatment and product are also 
commonly observed. Use of multiple or 
combination of treatment options (owing to whole 
body treatment including body and mind with 
drugs, lifestyle changes and non-drug therapies) 
has made arriving at practical conclusions of 
research outcomes a challenging task. Lack of 
standardized physiological and pathological 
entities in traditional medicine makes high quality 
research and extrapolation of results to bigger 
populations'  [8]. 

 

According to Nahin and Straus, the quality of 
research in traditional and complementary 
medicine can be improved through strong 
commitment by researchers and rigorous 
designing of studies [8]. 

 

In conclusion, changing the attitude towards 
research training, better designing of research, 
creating research careers and including research in 
early part of curriculum can probably improve 
research scenario in Ayurveda. Improved research 
scenario in Ayurveda can  Ayurveda as 
well as people equally. Inclusion of research 
methodology in BAMS curriculum by Central 
Counsel of Indian Medicine (CCIM) is a welcome 
move towards creation of quality researchers and 
research environment. 

References: 
1. 

of Health Economics, RAND Europe. 
Medical Research. Medical Research: 
What's it worth? Estimating the 

economic ben from medical 
research in the UK. [Internet], 2008, [ 
cited on 08 / 11 / 2015 ] . Available  on 
https://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/viewFile/5
1b 9c5e8a8c41.pdf. 

2.  of the Chairman, Mack C. United 
States Senate. The  of Medical 
Research and the Role of the NIH. 
[Internet], 2000, [cited on 0 8 / 1 1 / 2 0 1 
5 ] . A v a i l a b l e o n 
http://www.faseb.org/portals/2/pdfs/op
a 

 
3. Sadana R, D'Souza C, Hyder AA, 

Chowdhury AM. Importance of health 
research in South Asia. BMJ. 
2004;328(7443):826–30. 

4. AlGhamdi KM, Moussa NA, AlEssa DS, 
AlOthimeen N, Al-Saud AS. Perceptions, 
attitudes and practices toward research 
among senior medical students. 
Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2014;22:113–
117. 

5. Rani RJ, Priya M. Knowledge, Attitude 
and Practice on Medical Research: The 
Perspective of Medical Students. 
Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia. 
2014;11(1):115–119. 

6. Chaturvedi S, Aggarwal OP. Training 
interns in population-based research: 
learners' feedback from 13 consecutive 
batches from a m e d i c a l s c h o o l i n I n d 
i a . Med Educ . 2001;35(6):pp. 585–589. 

7. S i n g h R M . E x p l o r i n g i s s u e s i n t h 
e development of Ayurvedic 
research methodology. J Ayurveda 
Integr Med . 2010;1(2):91–95. 

8. Nahin RL, Straus SE. Research into 
complementary and alternative medicine: 
problems and potential. BMJ. 
2001;322:161–4. 

 

http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/viewFile/51b
http://www.acmedsci.ac.uk/viewFile/51b
http://www.faseb.org/portals/2/pdfs/opa
http://www.faseb.org/portals/2/pdfs/opa

