descriptive research topics in medical technology

399+ Amazing Medtech Research Topics

Get ready to see the world of medical technology with our collection of 399+ Amazing Medtech Research Topics. We’ve got the knowledge on cutting-edge subjects that impact healthcare, from artificial intelligence in medicine to innovative drug delivery systems.

No complicated texts, just straightforward insights into the future of medical technology. Whether you’re curious about advancements in imaging, wearable health tech, or the potential of 3D printing in medicine, this list has it all.

It’s like having a roadmap to the latest trends and breakthroughs in the medical field. So, if you’re keen on staying in the know about what’s shaping the future of healthcare, you’re in the right place. Let’s go on this journey and analyze these medtech research topics.

What Is Medtech?

Table of Contents

Medtech, used for medical technology, refers to the use of technology, devices, and innovations in healthcare to improve diagnosis, treatment, and overall patient care.

It includes numerous tools and equipment, from medical imaging devices to wearable health gadgets and advanced surgical instruments. Medtech aims to enhance the effectiveness of healthcare practices, provide more accurate diagnostics, and contribute to better patient outcomes.

In simple terms, medtech combines technology with medical expertise to create solutions that benefit both healthcare professionals and patients.

Importance Of Medtech In Current Scenario

Medtech plays an important role in the current healthcare landscape, offering several key advantages:

Enhanced Diagnostics

Medtech advancements provide more accurate and swift diagnostic tools, aiding healthcare professionals in identifying illnesses at earlier stages for timely intervention.

Remote Monitoring

Medtech enables remote patient monitoring, allowing healthcare providers to track patients’ health in real-time and intervene promptly, especially beneficial in managing chronic conditions.

Efficiency and Precision in Surgery

Surgical procedures benefit from precision instruments and robotics, leading to minimally invasive surgeries, quicker recovery times, and reduced risks.

Access to Healthcare

Medtech facilitates telemedicine and telehealth solutions, making healthcare services more accessible to remote or underserved populations.

Data Management and Analysis

Digital health technologies allows data management, fostering efficient analysis for research, treatment optimization, and public health planning.

Preventive Healthcare

Wearable devices and health apps allows individuals to monitor their health, promoting preventive measures and healthier lifestyles.

Drug Delivery Systems

Medtech innovations contribute to more efficient and targeted drug delivery, improving the effectiveness of medications while minimizing side effects.

Cost-Effective Solutions

In the long run, medtech investments can make it possible to save costs by decreasing hospital stays, preventing complications, and optimizing resource utilization.

In conclusion, the importance of medtech in the current scenario lies in its ability to revolutionize healthcare by making it more accurate, accessible, and patient-centric. These technologies contribute significantly to improving both the quality and efficiency of healthcare services worldwide.

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77 interesting medical research topics for 2024

Last updated

25 November 2023

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Medical research is the gateway to improved patient care and expanding our available treatment options. However, finding a relevant and compelling research topic can be challenging.

Use this article as a jumping-off point to select an interesting medical research topic for your next paper or clinical study.

How to choose a medical research topic

When choosing a research topic , it’s essential to consider a couple of things. What topics interest you? What unanswered questions do you want to address?

During the decision-making and brainstorming process, here are a few helpful tips to help you pick the right medical research topic:

Focus on a particular field of study

The best medical research is specific to a particular area. Generalized studies are often too broad to produce meaningful results, so we advise picking a specific niche early in the process.

Maybe a certain topic interests you, or your industry knowledge reveals areas of need.

Look into commonly researched topics

Once you’ve chosen your research field, do some preliminary research. What have other academics done in their papers and projects?

From this list, you can focus on specific topics that interest you without accidentally creating a copycat project. This groundwork will also help you uncover any literature gaps—those may be beneficial areas for research.

Get curious and ask questions

Now you can get curious. Ask questions that start with why, how, or what. These questions are the starting point of your project design and will act as your guiding light throughout the process.

For example:

What impact does pollution have on children’s lung function in inner-city neighborhoods?

Why is pollution-based asthma on the rise?

How can we address pollution-induced asthma in young children?

77 medical research topics worth exploring in 2023

Need some research inspiration for your upcoming paper or clinical study? We’ve compiled a list of 77 topical and in-demand medical research ideas. Let’s take a look.

Exciting new medical research topics

If you want to study cutting-edge topics, here are some exciting options:

COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms

Since 2020, COVID-19 has been a hot-button topic in medicine, along with the long-term symptoms in those with a history of COVID-19.

Examples of COVID-19-related research topics worth exploring include:

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiac and respiratory health

COVID-19 vaccination rates

The evolution of COVID-19 symptoms over time

New variants and strains of the COVID-19 virus

Changes in social behavior and public health regulations amid COVID-19

Vaccinations

Finding ways to cure or reduce the disease burden of chronic infectious diseases is a crucial research area. Vaccination is a powerful option and a great topic to research.

Examples of vaccination-related research topics include:

mRNA vaccines for viral infections

Biomaterial vaccination capabilities

Vaccination rates based on location, ethnicity, or age

Public opinion about vaccination safety

Artificial tissues fabrication

With the need for donor organs increasing, finding ways to fabricate artificial bioactive tissues (and possibly organs) is a popular research area.

Examples of artificial tissue-related research topics you can study include:

The viability of artificially printed tissues

Tissue substrate and building block material studies

The ethics and efficacy of artificial tissue creation

Medical research topics for medical students

For many medical students, research is a big driver for entering healthcare. If you’re a medical student looking for a research topic, here are some great ideas to work from:

Sleep disorders

Poor sleep quality is a growing problem, and it can significantly impact a person’s overall health.

Examples of sleep disorder-related research topics include:

How stress affects sleep quality

The prevalence and impact of insomnia on patients with mental health conditions

Possible triggers for sleep disorder development

The impact of poor sleep quality on psychological and physical health

How melatonin supplements impact sleep quality

Alzheimer’s and dementia

Cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise worldwide. They currently have no cure. As a result, research about these topics is in high demand.

Examples of dementia-related research topics you could explore include:

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a chosen population

Early onset symptoms of dementia

Possible triggers or causes of cognitive decline with age

Treatment options for dementia-like conditions

The mental and physical burden of caregiving for patients with dementia

Lifestyle habits and public health

Modern lifestyles have profoundly impacted the average person’s daily habits, and plenty of interesting topics explore its effects.

Examples of lifestyle and public health-related research topics include:

The nutritional intake of college students

The impact of chronic work stress on overall health

The rise of upper back and neck pain from laptop use

Prevalence and cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

Controversial medical research paper topics

Medical research is a hotbed of controversial topics, content, and areas of study.

If you want to explore a more niche (and attention-grabbing) concept, here are some controversial medical research topics worth looking into:

The benefits and risks of medical cannabis

Depending on where you live, the legalization and use of cannabis for medical conditions is controversial for the general public and healthcare providers.

Examples of medical cannabis-related research topics that might grab your attention include:

The legalization process of medical cannabis

The impact of cannabis use on developmental milestones in youth users

Cannabis and mental health diagnoses

CBD’s impact on chronic pain

Prevalence of cannabis use in young people

The impact of maternal cannabis use on fetal development

Understanding how THC impacts cognitive function

Human genetics

The Human Genome Project identified, mapped, and sequenced all human DNA genes. Its completion in 2003 opened up a world of exciting and controversial studies in human genetics.

Examples of human genetics-related research topics worth delving into include:

Medical genetics and the incidence of genetic-based health disorders

Behavioral genetics differences between identical twins

Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders

Machine learning technologies for genetic research

Sexual health studies

Human sexuality and sexual health are important (yet often stigmatized) medical topics that need new research and analysis.

As a diverse field ranging from sexual orientation studies to sexual pathophysiology, examples of sexual health-related research topics include:

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections within a chosen population

Mental health conditions within the LGBTQIA+ community

The impact of untreated sexually transmitted infections

Access to safe sex resources (condoms, dental dams, etc.) in rural areas

Health and wellness research topics

Human wellness and health are trendy topics in modern medicine as more people are interested in finding natural ways to live healthier lifestyles.

If this field of study interests you, here are some big topics in the wellness space:

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten allergies and intolerances have risen over the past few decades. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, your options range in severity from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to full-blown anaphylaxis.

Some examples of gluten sensitivity-related research topics include:

The pathophysiology and incidence of Celiac disease

Early onset symptoms of gluten intolerance

The prevalence of gluten allergies within a set population

Gluten allergies and the incidence of other gastrointestinal health conditions

Pollution and lung health

Living in large urban cities means regular exposure to high levels of pollutants.

As more people become interested in protecting their lung health, examples of impactful lung health and pollution-related research topics include:

The extent of pollution in densely packed urban areas

The prevalence of pollution-based asthma in a set population

Lung capacity and function in young people

The benefits and risks of steroid therapy for asthma

Pollution risks based on geographical location

Plant-based diets

Plant-based diets like vegan and paleo diets are emerging trends in healthcare due to their limited supporting research.

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits or risks of holistic, diet-based medicine, examples of plant-based diet research topics to explore include:

Vegan and plant-based diets as part of disease management

Potential risks and benefits of specific plant-based diets

Plant-based diets and their impact on body mass index

The effect of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease management

Health supplements

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Many health-conscious people take supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, and more.

Examples of health supplement-related research topics worth investigating include:

Omega-3 fish oil safety and efficacy for cardiac patients

The benefits and risks of regular vitamin D supplementation

Health supplementation regulation and product quality

The impact of social influencer marketing on consumer supplement practices

Analyzing added ingredients in protein powders

Healthcare research topics

Working within the healthcare industry means you have insider knowledge and opportunity. Maybe you’d like to research the overall system, administration, and inherent biases that disrupt access to quality care.

While these topics are essential to explore, it is important to note that these studies usually require approval and oversight from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensures the study is ethical and does not harm any subjects.

For this reason, the IRB sets protocols that require additional planning, so consider this when mapping out your study’s timeline.

Here are some examples of trending healthcare research areas worth pursuing:

The pros and cons of electronic health records

The rise of electronic healthcare charting and records has forever changed how medical professionals and patients interact with their health data.

Examples of electronic health record-related research topics include:

The number of medication errors reported during a software switch

Nurse sentiment analysis of electronic charting practices

Ethical and legal studies into encrypting and storing personal health data

Inequities within healthcare access

Many barriers inhibit people from accessing the quality medical care they need. These issues result in health disparities and injustices.

Examples of research topics about health inequities include:

The impact of social determinants of health in a set population

Early and late-stage cancer stage diagnosis in urban vs. rural populations

Affordability of life-saving medications

Health insurance limitations and their impact on overall health

Diagnostic and treatment rates across ethnicities

People who belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to experience barriers and restrictions when trying to receive quality medical care. This is due to systemic healthcare racism and bias.

As a result, diagnostic and treatment rates in minority populations are a hot-button field of research. Examples of ethnicity-based research topics include:

Cancer biopsy rates in BIPOC women

The prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous communities

Access inequalities in women’s health preventative screenings

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in Black populations

Pharmaceutical research topics

Large pharmaceutical companies are incredibly interested in investing in research to learn more about potential cures and treatments for diseases.

If you’re interested in building a career in pharmaceutical research, here are a few examples of in-demand research topics:

Cancer treatment options

Clinical research is in high demand as pharmaceutical companies explore novel cancer treatment options outside of chemotherapy and radiation.

Examples of cancer treatment-related research topics include:

Stem cell therapy for cancer

Oncogenic gene dysregulation and its impact on disease

Cancer-causing viral agents and their risks

Treatment efficacy based on early vs. late-stage cancer diagnosis

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies

Immunotherapy for cancer

Pain medication alternatives

Historically, opioid medications were the primary treatment for short- and long-term pain. But, with the opioid epidemic getting worse, the need for alternative pain medications has never been more urgent.

Examples of pain medication-related research topics include:

Opioid withdrawal symptoms and risks

Early signs of pain medication misuse

Anti-inflammatory medications for pain control

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Explore the Best Medical and Health Research Topics Ideas

Table of contents

1 How to Choose Medical Research Paper Topics
2 New Medical Research Paper Topics
3 Medical Research Topics for College Students
4 Controversial Medical Topics for Research Paper
5 Health Research Topics
6 Medicine Research Topics
7 Healthcare Research Topics
8 Public Health Research Topics
9 Mental Health Research Paper Topics
10 Anatomy Research Topics
11 Biomedical Research Topics
12 Bioethics Research Topics
13 Cancer Research Topics
14 Clinical Research Topics
15 Critical Care Research Topics
16 Pediatric Research Topics
17 Dental Research Topics Ideas
18 Dermatology Research Topics
19 Primary Care Research Topics
20 Pharmaceutical Research Topics
21 Medical Anthropology Research Topics
22 Paramedic Research Paper Topics
23 Surgery Research Topics
24 Radiology Research Paper Topics
25 Anatomy and Physiology Research Paper Topics
26 Healthcare Management Research Paper Topics
27 Medical Ethics Research Paper Topics
28 Conclusion

In such a complex and broad field as medicine, writing an original and compelling research paper is a daunting task. From investigating public care concerns to cancer treatment studies, each student decides where his interests lie. Our goal is to help students find new angles to study and focus on relevant topics. With our resources, you can write an engaging and rigorous paper.

How to Choose Medical Research Paper Topics

Choosing good research paper topics is often more challenging than the writing process itself. You need to select a captivating subject matter that will grab the reader’s attention, showcase your knowledge of a specific field, help you progress in your studies, and perhaps even inspire future research.

To accomplish that, you need to start with brainstorming, followed by thorough research. Here are some great tips to follow:

Pick an interesting topic – The key is to pick something that you find interesting, and yet make sure it’s not too general or too narrow. It should allow you to delve deep into the subject matter and show that you’re a professional who is ready to take on a challenge when it comes to your chosen field of medicine.
Narrow down your focus – Once you have a list of potential topics, sift through recent medical research papers to get up-to-date with the latest trends, developments, and issues in medicine and healthcare. Check out textbooks, news articles, and other relevant sources for more information related to your potential topics. If a particular condition or disease interests you (perhaps something that drew you to a career in medicine), there’s your cue for narrowing down your topic.
Pinpoint the “why,” “how,” and “what” – Whether you are looking into nutrition research paper topics , controversial medical topics, nursing research topics, or anything in-between, ask yourself why each of them is important. How could they contribute to the available medical studies, if any? What new information could they bring to improve the future of medicine? Asking these questions will help you pick the right medical research paper topic that suits you and helps you move forward and reach your aspirations.

To help you on that quest, we’ve compiled a list of topics that you could use or that might inspire you to come up with something unique. Let’s dive in.

New Medical Research Paper Topics

Are you interested in the newest and most interesting developments in medicine? We put hours of effort into identifying the current trends in health research so we could provide you with these examples of topics. Whether you hire a research paper writing service for students or write a paper by yourself, you need an appealing topic to focus on.

Epidemics versus pandemics
Child health care
Medical humanitarian missions in the developing world
Homoeopathic medicines – the placebo effect
Virus infections – causes and treatment
Is medical research on animals ethical
Vaccination – dangers versus benefits
Artificial tissues and organs
Rare genetic diseases
Brain injuries

Medical Research Topics for College Students

You don’t know where to start with your medical research paper? There are so many things you could write about that the greatest challenge is to narrow them down. This is why we decided to help.

Antibiotics treatments
Chronic diseases
Palliative treatment
Battling Alzheimer’s disease
How modern lifestyle affects public health
Professional diseases
Sleep disorders
Changes in physical and mental health due to aging
Eating disorders
Terminal diseases

Controversial Medical Topics for Research Paper

In healthcare, new discoveries can change people’s lives in the blink of an eye. This is also the reason why there are so many controversial topics in medicine, which involve anything from religion to ethics or social responsibility. Read on to discover our top controversial research topics.

Implementing food standards
Gluten allergy
Assisted suicide for terminal patients
Testing vaccines on animals – ethical concerns
Moral responsibilities regarding cloning
Marijuana legalization for medical purposes
Abortion – medical approaches
Vegan diets – benefits and dangers
Increased life expectancy: a burden on the healthcare system?
Circumcision effects

Health Research Topics

Students conducting health research struggle with finding good ideas related to their medical interests. If you want to write interesting college papers, you can select a good topic for our list.

How environmental changes affect human health
Deafness: communication disorders
Household air pollution
Diabetes – a public danger
Coronaviruses
Oral health assessment
Tobacco and alcohol control
Diseases caused by lack of physical exercise
How urban pollution affects respiratory diseases
Healthy diets

Medicine Research Topics

Regardless of the requirements in your research assignment, you can write about something that is both engaging and useful in your future career. Choose a topic from below.

Causes for the increasing cancer cases
Insulin resistance
How terrorism affects mental health
AIDS/HIV – latest developments
Treating pregnant women versus non-pregnant women
Latest innovations in medical instruments
Genetic engineering
Successful treatment of mental diseases
Is autism a disease
Natural coma versus artificial coma

Healthcare Research Topics

Healthcare research includes political and social aspects, besides medical. For college students who want to explore how medicine is affected by society’s values or principles, we provide examples of topics for papers. Select yours from the list below.

Government investment in healthcare services in the EU versus the USA
Inequalities in healthcare assistance and services
Electronic health records systems – pros and cons
Can asylums treat mental issues
Health care for prison inmates
Equipment for improving treatment of AIDS
Correlation between economic development and health care services across countries
Impact of smoking on organs
Heart attacks – causes and effects
Breast cancer – recent developments

Public Health Research Topics

For current examples of public health topics, browse our list. We provide only original, researchable examples for which you can easily find supporting data and evidence.

Public versus private hospitals
Health care professionals – management principles
Surgery failures – who is responsible
What legal responsibilities has the hospital administration
Patient service quality in public versus private hospitals
What benefits national health care systems have
Estimated costs of cancer treatments
Public health in developing countries
Banning tobacco ads – importance for public health
Government solutions to the anti-vaccine’s movement

Mental Health Research Paper Topics

Mental health is one of the most complex areas of medicine, where things are never as clear as with other medical issues. This increases the research potential of the field with plenty of topics left for debate.

Causes of anxiety disorders
Bulimia versus anorexia
Childhood trauma
Mental health public policies
Postpartum Depression
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Schizophrenia

Anatomy Research Topics

Anatomy covers everything about the human body and how it works. If you find that intriguing and want to pay for medical research paper, start by selecting a topic.

Chemotherapy: how it affects the body
Thyroid glands – functions in the body
Human endocrine system
Heart diseases
How does the human muscular system develop
Lymphatic system – importance
Investigating genetic diseases
Digestive system

Biomedical Research Topics

Biology and medicine often work together. For the newest changes in the biomedical field, check our topics.

Alzheimer’s disease – paths for treatment
Vaccines and drug development in the treatment of Ebola
Antibiotic resistance
Biological effects caused by aging
Air pollution effects on health
Infectious disease past versus present
Regenerative medicine
Biomedical diagnostics
Biomedical technology

Bioethics Research Topics

A controversial area of medicine, bioethics is where you get the chance to add personal input to a research topic and come up with new insights. You could consider these subjects.

Organ donation
Alternative or complementary medicine
Assisted suicide or the right to die
Artificial insemination or surrogacy
Chemical and biological warfare
Contraception
Environmental bioethics
In Vitro fertilization

Cancer Research Topics

Are you writing a paper related to cancer causes, diagnosis, treatment or effects? Look below for a hot topic that it’s easy to research and important for medical advance.

Ability of immune system cells to fight cancer
Computational oncology
Metastasis affected by drug resistance
Stem cells – applications for cancer treatment
Tumor microenvironment
Obesity and age in cancer occurrence
Early cancer detection – benefits
Artificial intelligence predicting cancer
Hematologic malignancies
Pathogen-related cancers

Clinical Research Topics

Learn more about clinical medicine by conducting more in-depth research. We prepared for you a list of relevant issues to touch upon.

Ethical concerns regarding research on human subjects
Subject recruitment
Budget preparation
Human subject protection
Clinical trials – financial support
Clinical practices for health professionals
Using vulnerable populations in clinical research
Quality assurance in clinical research
Academic clinical trials versus clinical trials units
Data collection and management

Critical Care Research Topics

Critical care is a key area in medical studies. Explore these topics in your research paper to gain more valuable knowledge in this field. You can also get in contact with nursing research paper writers .

Obesity and asthma – clinical manifestations
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Rhythm analysis for cardiac arrest
Traumatic brain injury – fluid resuscitation
Hydrocortisone for multiple trauma patients
Care and nutrition for critically ill adults
Diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Coma and sedation scales
Artificial airways suctioning
Arterial puncture and arterial line

Pediatric Research Topics

Any topic that refers to health care for children, pregnant women, mothers, and adolescents goes under pediatric care.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Congenital heart disease in newborns
Adolescent medicine
Neonatal medicine
Rare diseases in children and teenagers
Obesity and weight fluctuations
Behavioral sleep problems in children
Children with anemia

Dental Research Topics Ideas

Choose a topic on oral health or dental care from this list of the most interesting topics in the field.

How smoking affects oral health
Children’s risk for dental caries
Dental anxiety
Types of dental materials – new advances
Bad breath bacteria
How diabetes affects oral health
Oral cancer
Dental pain – types, causes
Dental implants
Oral health-related quality of life

Dermatology Research Topics

Find the best research topic for your dermatology paper among our examples.

Atopic dermatitis
Contact dermatitis
Epidemiology behind uncommon skin disorders
Cutaneous aging
Risk factors of melanoma skin cancer
Acne versus rosacea
Genetic testing for skin conditions
Effects of cosmetic agents on skin health
Improving skin barrier with pharmaceutical agents
Skin manifestations of autoimmune disorders

Primary Care Research Topics

Write a primary care paper that can demonstrate your research skills and interest in powerful scientific findings.

Primary care for vulnerable/uninsured populations
Interpersonal continuity in care treatment
How primary care contributes to health systems
Primary care delivery models
Developments in family medicine
Occupational/environmental health
Pharmacotherapy approaches
Formal allergy testing
Oral contraception side effects
Dietary or behavioral interventions for obesity management

Pharmaceutical Research Topics

Pharma students who need paper topics can use one from our list. We include all things related to pharmacy life.

Drugs that can treat cancer
Drug excretion
Elimination rate constant
Inflammatory stress drug treatment
Aspirin poising
Ibuprofen – dangers versus benefits
Toxicodynamics
Opioid use disorder
Pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia
Ketamine in depression treatment

Medical Anthropology Research Topics

Medical anthropology unites different areas of human knowledge. Find powerful ideas for a paper below.

Cultural contexts regarding reproductive health
Women sexuality
Anthropological aspects of health care
Contributions of social sciences to public health
Euthanasia and medical ethics across cultures
Health-related behavior in adults across cultures
Transcultural nursing
Forensic psychiatry
Symptoms of Celiac Disease – a disease with no symptoms
Nursing ethics

Paramedic Research Paper Topics

Topics for paramedic research must be based on evidence, data, statistics, or practical experience. Just like ours.

Trends and statistics in EMS
Disaster medicine
Mass casualties
Pandemics and epidemics
Infection control
Basic versus advanced life support
Scene safety in EMS
Shock management
Motor vehicle accidents

Surgery Research Topics

Discover all the intricacies of surgeries that save lives by writing about our topics.

Medical malpractice and legal issues
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Pain management
Perioperative nursing
Wound management
Colorectal cancer surgery
Breast cancer surgery
Minimally invasive surgeries
Vascular disease

Radiology Research Paper Topics

Find a radiology topic related to your academic interests to write a successful paper.

Using MRI to diagnose hepatic focal lesions
Multidetector computer tomography
Ultrasound elastography in breast cancer
Assessing traumatic spinal cord injuries with MRI diffusion tensor imaging
Sonographic imaging to detect male infertility
Role of tomography in diagnosing cancer
Brain tumor surgery with magnetic resonance imaging
Bacterial meningitis imaging

Anatomy and Physiology Research Paper Topics

Any ideas for a medical research paper? We have included the most important topics for an anatomy and physiology paper.

What role has the endocrine system
Staphylococcus aureus
Environmental factors that affect development of human muscular system
What role has the lymphatic system
An investigation of genetic diseases
Explaining the aging process
The digestive tract
Effects of stress on cells and muscles
Evolution of the human nervous system
What role has the cardiovascular system

Healthcare Management Research Paper Topics

There are numerous topics you could write about when it comes to healthcare management. There’s a wide range of options to pick, from infrastructure, staff, and financial management to HR and patient management. Here are some of the top healthcare management research paper options.

Medical talent acquisition and retention
Best methods for enhancing preventative care measures
The role of telemedicine in reinventing healthcare management
Patient care and the ability to pay for healthcare
Mid-level healthcare providers in the emergency department
The opioid crisis: policies and programs
Urgent care and walk-in clinics
Hospital emergency management plan during an epidemic
Hospital records management and patient privacy
Financial crises: challenges and opportunities

Medical Ethics Research Paper Topics

Medical ethics is a field that opens the door to numerous compelling topics for research papers. Here are some of the most appealing ones you could tackle.

Clinical research on humans
Vaccines and immunization
Religious beliefs in healthcare
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
Ethical issues across cultures
Amniocentesis or prenatal birth defect testing
Medical malpractice and going back to work
Racial and ethnic preferences and perceptions in organ donations
Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare
Ethical concerns of AI in healthcare

If you need further assistance with your medical research paper, PapersOwl is here for you. Our expert writers can provide you with top-notch research and help you write an impressive paper. Contact us anytime, pick your writer, tell them more about your topic, and get a unique, plagiarism-free research paper with impeccable grammar and formatting.

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Research article
Open access
Published: 26 February 2018

The use of advanced medical technologies at home: a systematic review of the literature

Ingrid ten Haken 1 ,
Somaya Ben Allouch 1 &
Wim H. van Harten 2 , 3

BMC Public Health volume 18 , Article number: 284 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

22k Accesses

41 Citations

7 Altmetric

Metrics details

The number of medical technologies used in home settings has increased substantially over the last 10–15 years. In order to manage their use and to guarantee quality and safety, data on usage trends and practical experiences are important. This paper presents a literature review on types, trends and experiences with the use of advanced medical technologies at home.

The study focused on advanced medical technologies that are part of the technical nursing process and ‘hands on’ processes by nurses, excluding information technology such as domotica. The systematic review of literature was performed by searching the databases MEDLINE, Scopus and Cinahl. We included papers from 2000 to 2015 and selected articles containing empirical material.

The review identified 87 relevant articles, 62% was published in the period 2011–2015. Of the included studies, 45% considered devices for respiratory support, 39% devices for dialysis and 29% devices for oxygen therapy. Most research has been conducted on the topic ‘user experiences’ (36%), mainly regarding patients or informal caregivers. Results show that nurses have a key role in supporting patients and family caregivers in the process of homecare with advanced medical technologies and in providing information for, and as a member of multi-disciplinary teams. However, relatively low numbers of articles were found studying nurses perspective.

Conclusions

Research on medical technologies used at home has increased considerably until 2015. Much is already known on topics, such as user experiences; safety, risks, incidents and complications; and design and technological development. We also identified a lack of research exploring the views of nurses with regard to medical technologies for homecare, such as user experiences of nurses with different technologies, training, instruction and education of nurses and human factors by nurses in risk management and patient safety.

Peer Review reports

As a result of demographic changes and the rapidly increasing number of older patients, there is a need for cost savings and health reforms, which include an increased move from inpatient to outpatient care in most industrialized countries over the last 10–15 years [ 1 , 2 ]. As a consequence, the transfer of advanced medical devices into home settings was considerable and it is expected that there will be a further increase in the near future [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].

When ‘an increase’ in the number of medical technologies used at home is mentioned, it is not clear which and how many technologies are involved. Today, there are an estimated 500,000 different kinds and types of medical devices available on the world market [ 8 , 9 ]. The European Commission (EC) publishes data regarding legislation and regulations for medical devices, but the actual figures for medical technologies in outpatient practice are not available [ 10 ]. The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) stated that technologies have shifted from hospitals into the home, but it too does not illustrate its findings with statistics [ 11 ]. We searched for data with regard to the actual number of medical technologies used in home settings and it proved difficult to find any systematic data sets available throughout the international landscape.

An important condition for the application of medical technology in the home setting is that quality of care and patient safety must be guaranteed [ 6 ]. From a historical perspective medical technologies were designed for hospital settings [ 12 , 13 ]. This means that specific factors regarding the implementation and use at home now need to be taken into account [ 7 , 14 , 15 ]. In general, risks with medical technologies can be classified regarding (a) environmental factors; (b) human factors and (c) technological factors [ 16 ]. Human factors, however, are very important in patient safety in both hospital and in home settings [ 1 , 6 , 12 ]. For example, a major risk factor is the number of users and handovers in the chain of care. In home settings, a sometimes impressive number of different users of medical technology, often with various levels of training, instruction or education, are involved. Although patient empowerment moves control to the patient and/or relatives, an important user group is that of professional nurses. Understanding user experiences and information about adverse events and near incidents are important aspects for developing knowledge regarding implementation and use in home care setting. Sharing this knowledge can support patients and caregivers, and especially nurses in their professional work and will also contribute to patient safety and quality of care.

Therefore, there is a need to address the question first, which types of technologies are used at home; second, how frequently are they used and third, what trends can be distinguished. Additional research questions are whether there are any scientific data regarding particular user experiences; training, instruction and education; safety and risks, and finally, what can be concluded about the role of nurses in using medical technologies in the home environment. The objective of this paper therefore is to present a systematic literature search on the international state of art concerning various aspects of the use of advanced medical technologies at home.

Definitions

First, we want to clarify some definitions. In general, ‘health technology’ refers to the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life [ 17 ]. The World Health Organization [ 8 ] uses the definition of ‘medical device’ as ‘An article, instrument, apparatus or machine that is used in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness or disease, or for detecting, measuring, restoring, correcting or modifying the structure or function of the body for some health purpose …….’. A specification for a home use medical device is: ‘A medical device intended for users in any environment outside of a professional healthcare facility. This includes devices intended for use in both professional healthcare facilities and homes’ [ 18 ].

The landscape of medical devices is diverse with technologies varying from relatively simple to very complex devices. Wagner et al. [ 19 ] stated that ‘high-tech dependency’ (for children) matches with ‘technology-dependency’ if it concerns ‘a medical device to compensate for the loss of a vital bodily function and substantial and ongoing nursing care to avert death or further disability’. ‘The needs of these patients may vary from the continuous assistance of a device and highly trained caretaker to less frequent treatment and intermittent nursing care’ [ 20 ]. Although patients dependent of advanced medical technologies at home are often medically stable, they sometimes have high technical needs and may be expected to need long-term recovery. They also require skilled nursing [ 21 ] and a considerable degree of advanced decision making, planning, training and oversight [ 22 ]. An overall definition of ‘advanced medical technology’ is: ‘Medical devices and software systems that are complex, provide critical patient data, or that directly implement pharmacologic or life-support processes whereby inadvertent misuse or use error could present a known probability of patient harm’ [ 23 ]. Examples of advanced medical technologies used at home include ventilators for respiratory support, systems for haemo- or peritoneal dialysis and infusion pumps to provide nutrition or medication.

In the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) [ 24 ] uses the following definition:

Advanced medical technology or high-tech technology in the home setting is defined as technology that is part of the technical skills in nursing and meets the following conditions:

technology that is advanced or high-tech, for example equipment with a plug, an on/off switch, an alarm button and a pause button;

technology that had been applied formerly only in hospital care, but that is now also often applied in home settings;

technology that can be categorized as ‘supporting physiological functions’, ‘administration’ or ‘monitoring’.

Within the Dutch classification of advanced medical technologies 19 different devices are identified (see Table 1 ), which will be used in this review as a basis to categorize the technologies. It is a classification format in which specific advanced technologies are defined. Terms as ‘advanced medical technology’ (from now on abbreviated as AMT) will be used consistently as synonyms for ‘complex medical technology’ and ‘high-tech medical technology’. The term ‘technology’ will be used in the meaning of ‘device’ or ‘equipment’. The target is on technologies that are instrumental and ‘hands on’ use by nurses in the care for patients. This means that information technology (IT) based technologies as domotica (automation for a home) are not part of the study.

Eligibility and search strategy

The systematic review of the literature was conducted early 2016. Key concepts for the review were ‘medical technologies’ or ‘medical devices’, and ‘home settings’. The concept of ‘home settings’ is related to the terms ‘home nursing’ and ‘home care service’, of which the stem is ‘home’. Combining the key concepts provided the search string: (‘medical technology’ OR ‘medical device’). As domotica is not part of the study, the search string was extended with: AND NOT (eHealth OR telecare OR telemedicine). The exact search string is (“medical technology” OR “medical devices”) AND home AND NOT (ehealth OR telecare OR telemedicine). Online databases MEDLINE, Scopus and Cinahl were searched electronically using the search string to obtain data.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Criteria for selection were defined prior to the search process. General criteria for inclusion were:

Year of publication: 2000–2015.

An abstract or an article (with or without abstract) has to be available, containing reference to AMT information.

The article is published in English, German, French or Dutch/Flemish language.

If medical technology is cited, it has to conform to the definition of ‘advanced medical technology’ [ 24 ].

The abstract or the article has to contain empirical material. For the purpose of this review, ‘empirical material’ has been defined as: AMT which is designed for the home setting, or where the design or choices took into account the setting of the home, or where the medical technology has been tested for the home or if the medical technology is already on the market and being used in the home setting.

For further selection, inclusion criteria related to the key concepts for title and abstract were applied, such as ‘advanced medical technology’, ‘high-tech medical technology’, ‘home-centred health-enabling technology’ and ‘care at home’. The classification of the RIVM (see Table 1 ) has been taken as a basis to categorize technologies in this review. Domotica and telemonitoring technologies scored under ‘monitoring’, such as fetal cardiotocography, and respiratory and circulatory monitoring, were left out. If the abstract or article was about electronic health records, ‘smart home’, ambient intelligence, pervasive computing, software of devices, smartphone or surgical robots, the article was also removed from selection. Technologies as ‘VAD (ventricular assist device)’, ‘dental devices’ and ‘AED (automatic external defibrillator)’ were not seen as part of the technical nursing process and these records were left out as well. Studies conducted in the hospital, hospice or nursing home settings were also excluded. An overview of all inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found in Table 2 .

Screening process

The search in the online databases using the search string, identified a total of 1287 references. After checking for duplicates, 1070 articles remained. Those articles were reviewed by a reviewer for titles and abstracts on basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A double check was performed by two reviewers, who independently screened random samples of 20% of the articles. There was an initial agreement of 88%. In case of disagreement about the inclusion of an article, the decision was based on a joint discussion by all three reviewers to an agreement of 100% and the resulting screening policy was applied to the rest of the abstracts. Based on the selected titles and/or abstracts, articles were retrieved or requested in full text and assessed for eligibility. Some articles were excluded from further study, for reasons of ‘full text not available’ or the article contained no empirical material. Finally, 87 studies remained which were included in the analysis (see Table 3 ). A graphical representation of the screening process has been included in Fig. 1 .

PRISMA flowchart

Appraisal of selected studies

To conduct the systematic literature search on the international state of art concerning various aspects of the use of advanced medical technologies at home, several sources are consulted. To guarantee a scientific standard, only articles were retrieved from academic databases. MEDLINE refers to journals for biomedical literature from around the world; Cinahl contains an index of nursing and research journals covering nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative medicine, allied health and more. These databases related to discipline have been supplemented with Scopus, which is considered to be the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Grey literature, such as national and international reports on regulations and safety of medical technologies, is also used to illustrate the background of the problem statement and describe definitions. The Classification of advanced medical technologies in the Netherlands according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has been used as a framework to categorise the medical technologies in the selected articles. No methodological conditions of selected studies were applied in advance and the quality criterion we applied was that of the article had to contain empirical material, as we wanted to obtain an comprehensive overview of published studies of any design and to get insight in a variety of contents.

Categorization of included articles

The characteristics of the included articles are outlined in Table 3 . All included articles were categorized by year of publication and the type of research, like the designs, methods and used instruments in the studies. Research features were synthesized where possible into overarching categories. For example, ‘systematic review’ and ‘narrative review’ were scored as ‘review’ and instruments as ‘semi-structured interview’ and ‘in-depth individual interview’ were both assigned to the category ‘interview’.

For each study, the medical technology or technologies on which the study was based was scored. The categorization was in accordance with the classification of AMTs (see Table 1 ). For example, the devices ‘continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)’ and ‘negative pressure ventilation (NPV) have both been categorized as ‘respiratory support’; and the devices ‘jejeunostomy tube’ and ‘gastronomy tube’ as ‘enteral nutrition’. With regard to the category ‘dialysis’, further subdivision was made by using ‘haemo dialysis’ and ‘peritoneal dialysis’. If in an article a medical technology was mentioned as an example, but was no subject of study, then the technology was not scored.

‘Medical diagnosis (or diagnoses)’ as mentioned in the studies, was included in the analysis only if it was related to the medical technology as the subject of study, not if it has been mentioned as an example. In some cases, an underlying cause of diagnosis was indicated. For example, ‘chronic respiratory failure due to congenital myopathy’, in itself a neurological disorder, has been scored as ‘neurological disorder’. Diseases or disorders have been classified as much as possible under the overarching name. For example ‘pneumonia’ and ‘cystic fibrosis’ are categorized under ‘respiratory failure’, and ‘gastroparesis’ and ‘Crohns disease’ under ‘gastrointestinal disorder’. The category ‘other’ contains diagnoses which occur only once, such as ‘chromosomal anomaly’, or which are not yet determined, like ‘chronic diseases’ or ‘congenital abnormalities’.

In relation to the research questions, articles were classified regarding one of the following categories and, where appropriate, into subcategories:

User experiences

Training, instruction and education, safety, risks, incidents and complications.

From an analysis of the articles, additional categories of content emerged:

Design and technological development

Application with regard to certain diseases or disorders, indication for and extent of use

Policy and management

Types of medical technologies used, frequency of use and trends.

In four of the 87 articles (5%) there were no specific medical technologies mentioned as a subject of study (see Table 4 ). Almost half of the studies (45%) considered medical technologies for respiratory support and 39% devices for dialysis, either haemo- ( n = 18), peritoneal- ( n = 15) or dialysis not specified ( n = 1). Of the studies, 29% reported on devices for oxygen therapy. In addition, there has been relatively more research conducted on equipment for ‘infusion therapy’ ( n = 19; 22%), parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition with a score of 20% each ( n = 17). Relatively little research has been carried out on suction devices (8%), external electrostimulation (5%), nebulizer (5%), insulin pump therapy (3%), sleep apnea treatment (2%), patient lifting hoists (2%), vacuum assisted wound closure (1%) and continuous passive motion (1%). None of de studies considered medical technologies with regard to decubitus treatment, skeletal traction or UV (ultraviolet) therapy.

Table 4 shows that on the years 2000 and 2001 no relevant articles on the subject were found. Over the period 2000–2005, 17 articles were published, the same number over 2006–2010, and there has been a substantial increase in the number of publications to 54 over the years 2011–2015. In general, it can be concluded that more frequent investigated technologies show a fairly even distribution of publications over the years 2000–2015. Technologies, on which little research had been done, except for nebulizers, have been mainly investigated since 2010. An increase of published articles over the years 2000–2015 is apparent particularly for haemo dialysis and to a lesser extent, for devices for enteral- and parenteral nutrition. As mentioned before, several studies reported on the increase of the number of medical technologies used in home settings, but concrete data are not available. However, the number of studies and the visible trends may be indicative of the frequency of use.

In 63% of the cases ( n = 55), a medical diagnosis (or diagnoses) was mentioned in the article. Where a diagnosis has been mentioned, in almost half of the studies ( n = 26; 47%) it concerned diagnoses in the field of respiratory failure (see Fig. 2 ). This is not surprising, since ‘respiratory support’ is the medical technology most commonly found in the articles, similarly ‘oxygen therapy’ has also been considered relatively often. Diagnoses with regard to neurological disorders occurred in 42% of the studies ( n = 23). Just over a quarter of the studies (27%) considered diagnoses ‘other’, such as ‘sepsis’, ‘chromosomal anomaly’ or other not specified medical disorders, nearly a quarter (24%) considered ‘cancer’ and 22% kidney disorders ( n = 12).

Number of medical diagnoses mentioned in articles on AMTs ( n = 87, multiple answers possible)

An analysis of the used research designs identified that 64% ( n = 56) of the studies used an observational (non-experimental) design and only a small part of the studies ( n = 5; 6%) used an experimental design, such as a Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Of the included studies 19 were reviews and 8 were essays. A quantitative design ( n = 37) was used more frequently than a qualitative design ( n = 25); and only one study applied ‘mixed methods’ (quantitative and qualitative). Just over one-third of the studies (35%) used a descriptive design, and a similar number used a cross-sectional study (36%). Case series were used in 12% of the articles and a cohort-study in 9%. A phenomenological approach was applied in 16% of the records. Research instruments most frequently used were interviews (33%) and survey/questionnaires (21%). In 10% of the cases other instruments were used, including different types of assessments or tests.

With regard to the categories of content, most research has been carried out on ‘user experiences’ (see Fig. 3 ): just over one-third of the articles ( n = 31; 36%) focused on this topic. Of these articles almost all studies focused on experiences of patients or informal caregivers ( n = 29) and only a small number ( n = 2) considered the user experiences of nurses or other professionals (see Table 5 ). More than half of the studies ( n = 19) used a qualitative research design; of these 13 used a phenomenological approach. The goal of these studies was to elicit the essence of human phenomena as experienced by the users. Seven studies used a quantitative design and one an integrated mixed method. Three of the studies applied a grounded theory approach and two an experimental design (randomized controlled trial). The research instruments in this content category to collect data were interviews, either semi-structured or in-depth, and a survey. About two-thirds of the articles regarding ‘user experiences’ were published in the period 2011–2015, with an accent on the psychosocial impact of patients or informal caregivers.

Number of articles on AMTs with main content categories ( n = 87)

Relatively little research was found on ‘training, instruction, education’ ( n = 7), for the use of AMTs in home settings. It was remarkable that all the studies identified as focusing on this topic, concentrated on one category of AMT. Respiratory support was the subject of study in four instances and in the other three, the focus was on technologies for enteral nutrition, haemo dialysis and external electro-stimulation. Four of the seven articles utilized quantitative methods, among which three of them used an observational non-experimental design and one was an experimental randomized double-blind clinical trial. Another study within the initial seven articles used a qualitative observational non-experimental design, one was a review and another was in essay format.

In total, 22% of the articles discussed topics on safety, risks, incidents and complications ( n = 19). In the majority of cases ( n = 13) general aspects about the subject, for instance safe use, factors affecting safety, a safe transfer of the equipment and monitoring of assessing safety were considered. One article described technological factors with regard to safety, three articles reported on environmental factors and two explored human factors. Safety aspects were explored over a wide range of medical technologies. Five articles were reviews and one an essay. Quantitative methods were used in ten of the cases, particularly for monitoring, evaluating and assessing safety, technological and environmental factors. Only three studies used a qualitative design. Retrospective chart reviews or case series were used to collect data in some cases of unforeseen events. Table 5 shows about a doubling of published articles in the period 2011–2015 regarding this content category, compared to the previous period 2000–2010.

Approximately 20% of the selected articles considered the content category ‘design and technological development of the medical device’ ( n = 17). The studies each focused on only one type of AMT and treated a relative wide range of eight different categories, such as ‘respiratory support’, ‘oxygen therapy’, ‘haemo dialysis’, ‘infusion therapy’, ‘insulin pump therapy’ and ‘enteral nutrition’, but also ‘external electrostimulation’ and ‘patient lifting hoists’. Interestingly, in this group of articles, relatively often ( n = 6) no medical diagnosis was mentioned. Around half of the studies ( n = 8) referring to this topic were in review or essay format. All other studies used a quantitative research design and throughout the search no application of qualitative designs were found. Two studies used an experimental study design (randomized crossover trial) to obtain data and two described a prospective cohort study. The majority of papers ( n = 11) were published in the period 2011–2015 and six in the preceding period up to and including 2010.

Seven articles concerned the application of AMTs, all of them devices with regard to at least respiratory support and/or nutritional support. Five studies used a non-experimental quantitative design including the analysis of clinical data, such as record reviews or cohort studies, and two articles were reviews. Most articles on this subject ( n = 5) were published in the period 2012–2015.

Six articles described policy or management systems in different countries regarding the use of AMTs at home. The majority of the articles ( n = 4 ) were in essay or review format. The other papers concerned a qualitative cross-sectional case study analysis and an observational quantitative study in which data are collected prospectively using a database. The categories of content will now be discussed in greater detail.

Content description and trends to secondary research questions

In this category, 22 articles described the psychosocial impact on patients or informal caregivers from the use of medical technologies at home. Living at home with the assistance of medical technology needs a range of adjustments. Fex et al. [ 25 , 26 ] state that self-care is more than mastering the technology, in terms of the health-illness transition, it requires ‘…. an active learning process of accepting, managing, adjusting and improving technology’. When it comes to children, they have to learn to incorporate disability, illness and technology actively within their process of growing up [ 27 ]. It seems that the use of medical technologies in the home can have both a positive and a negative psychosocial impact on patients and their families, which in turn causes ambivalence in experiences [ 27 , 28 ]. On the one hand, patients in general gain more independence, an enhanced overall health and a better quality of life [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. On the other hand, for some patients the experience is one of dependency on others for executing daily activities, and these circumstances, to some extent, a social restricted live and perceived stigmatization [ 29 , 30 ]. The situation in which patients need to use medical technology at home also affects family functioning and requires next of kin responsibilities [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. As a result, next of kin caregivers are frequently faced with poor sleep quality and quantity, and/−or other significant psychosocial effects [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Nevertheless, family members had a positive attitude to the concept of bringing the technology into the home [ 42 ]. Knowledge of how to use the technology and permanent access to support from healthcare professionals and significant others, enabled next of kin caregivers to take responsibility for providing necessary care and to facilitate patients learning to provide self-care [ 25 , 36 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Bezruczko et al. [ 45 , 46 ] developed a measure of mothers’ confidence to care for children assisted with medical technologies in their homes. To provide high quality sustainable care, nurses have to recognize and understand the psychosocial dimensions for both patients and family members which arise as a result of changing role and providing care for the patients. The need to provide emotional support and support with appropriate coping strategies is a key professional role [ 25 , 26 , 47 ]. Insight into the psychosocial effects on those involved can be used to assist designers of medical devices to find strategies to better facilitate the integration of these technologies into the home [ 28 ].

Seven articles reported on the usability, barriers and accessibility experienced by patients or informal caregivers. Findings in these studies showed that several technologies were rarely perceived as user-friendly and that home medical devices inadequately met the needs of individuals with physical or sensory deficits [ 48 , 49 ]. An accessible design which meets the diversity of individual user needs, characteristics and features would be better able to help patients manage their own treatment and so could contribute to the quality of care and safety of patients and lay users [ 50 , 51 ]. Munck et al. [ 52 ] stated that restricted patients were reminded daily of the medical technology and were more dependent on assistance from healthcare professionals than masterful patients.

In contrast to the group of patients or informal caregivers, only two papers in this content category focused on the user experiences of nurses or other professional caregivers. The review demonstrates that to maintain patient safety, more education on application of medical devices for users is needed together with improved awareness and understanding of how to use the medical technology correctly in a patient-safe way [ 53 , 54 ]. More collaboration between all involved ‘actors’ in the process of care is also requisite. Continuity among carers, trust between patient and carers and supportive communication between informal and professional caregivers are important factors for the successful implementation of medical technologies in the home environment while maintaining patient safety [ 44 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].

Three articles regarding this topic focused on nurses or other professionals and four on the patients or informal caregivers. The results showed that successful use of advanced medical technologies at home requires adequate staff education and training programmes. Although many topics in educational programmes are suitable for different types of professionals in care provision, the focus for the level and application of information can vary for Registered Nurses and unregistered care staff. In addition, for overall learning experiences to be of maximum benefit there is a need for a clear focus on the specific client groups [ 56 ]. According to Sunwoo et al. [ 57 ], in the case of home non-invasive ventilation the degree of clinical support needed is extremely variable given the mixed indications for this respiratory support. A relatively simple procedure, such as the replacement of a feeding tube, can be performed by nurses, the patient and informal caregivers, provided they are trained well [ 58 ]. However, several studies revealed the complexity of the education needed by patients and informal caregivers for the use of advanced medical technologies at home [ 59 , 60 ]. Nevertheless, the studies revealed that a structured education programme, specific training, or the support of a dedicated discharge coordinator has several advantages [ 59 , 61 , 62 ]. It was evident that good preparation by patients or informal caregivers may result in a shorter length of stay in hospital, a better performance with regard to the use of the equipment or less requests by patients and/or families for assistance.

Most articles regarding this topic ( n = 13) reported on safety in general, like aspects of safe use, factors affecting safety, complications and prevention of incidents in the home. Some identified the risk factors and the complications that may arise [ 63 , 64 , 65 ], where Stieglitz et al. [ 66 ] also emphasize that human error is the main reason for critical incidents and that regular instruction for medical staff and patients is necessary. To prevent untoward and adverse events, evidence based guidelines, recommendations on the preferred methods for managing the equipment, troubleshooting techniques for potential complications and monitoring activities are necessary [ 67 , 68 ]. Faratro et al. [ 68 ] added that key performance and quality indicators are important mechanisms to ensure patient safety when using a medical device in the home. Methods to address or evaluate patient safety issues are for example, a home visit audit tool, a nationwide adverse event reporting system, programs such as the Medical Product Safety Network HomeNet, or, in the case of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) a central catheter stabilization system [ 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. However, a study conducted by Pourrat and Neuville [ 73 ] in France found that there are very few internal medical devices vigilance reports found within organizations that deliver devices for home parenteral nutrition and that safety management could be improved. The safe transfer of medical devices from a hospital setting to the home and vice versa, comes with several challenges regarding technological, environmental and human factors [ 14 ]. While many hospitals have developed policies to control the pathways of home-used devices in the hospitals, in case patients take them into the hospital when they are admitted for treatment [ 74 ]. Improvement of the safety of devices intended for use in home settings, implies also improvement of safety when their transfer to the hospital settings is urgently needed.

One article considered the technological factors, three the environmental and two the human factors. An example of research on the technological factors of safety related aspects of medical technologies used in home settings by Hilbers et al. [ 75 ] found that manufacturers pay insufficient attention to safety-related items in technical documentation for the use in the home setting. For instance, the environmental factor of electricity blackout leads to electrically powered medical devices failing. Studies show that this type of event causes a dramatic increase in appeal for access to emergency or hospital facilities, and that disaster preparation needs to include the specific needs of patients reliant on electrically driven devices [ 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Regarding human factors impacting on safety aspects, one article assessed the suitability of a particular theoretical framework for understanding safety-critical interactions of patients using medical devices in the home [ 79 ], while Tennankore et al. [ 80 ] described adverse events in home haemodialysis by the use of patients. It was remarkable that none of the articles focused on human factors with regard to the use of medical technologies at home by nurses or other professional caregivers.

Of those articles that focused on this topic, ten reported on the comparison between different types of medical technologies, or their advantages and disadvantages. The comparison of different devices for oxygen therapy was made by two articles [ 81 , 82 ] and one reported on the comparison of two types of enteral nutrition tubes [ 83 ]. Some studies regarding respiratory support considered the process of making a choice between different types of devices [ 84 , 85 , 86 ] while one paper considered the conditions for home-based haemo dialysis [ 87 ]. A minority, explored the individual characteristics and the clinical applications of several devices for respiratory support [ 88 , 89 ] and one considered devices for insulin pump therapy [ 90 ]. Seven papers discussed the technological development or effectiveness of medical technologies. The testing of devices for external electro-stimulation was described in two papers [ 91 , 92 ], with the testing of a new design patient lift was subject of one study [ 93 ]. Hanada and Kudou [ 94 ] explored the current status of electromagnetic interference with medical devices in the home setting, an issue of importance as more devices are considered for home use. The technological development of respiratory support for home use was part of one study [ 95 ], as were the possibilities of solar-assisted home haemo dialysis [ 96 ]. While the study by Pourtier [ 97 ] describes the advantages of analgesia pumps that can be read remotely by nurses, but also emphasizes the central position of a professional nurse in the transfer of information within a multi-disciplinary team.

Application with regard to certain diseases or disorders, indications for and extent of use

All articles described several aspects that need to be considered for use, such as clinical characteristics of the patients, indications for the use in the home setting, the technical availability of devices, the extent of their use at home or eventual complications and morbidity. It was important to note that all but one article ( n = 6) were about children or related to adults with what are usually regarded as paediatric diseases. Results show that the use of AMTs at home among children after hospital discharge is common (in 20%–60% of cases), or is standard for patients with some disorders [ 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 ]. The timely application of advanced home medical technology benefits patients and can help to reduce respiratory morbidity [ 102 ]. Nevertheless, the rate of death of patients with Möbius syndrome using the devices at home was high (30%) [ 98 ], as was that of patients with intestinal failure dependent on home parental nutrition therapy in Brazil (75% for 5 years) [ 103 ]. The average cumulative survival of children needing home ventilation was found to be between 75 and 90%, depending on the medical diagnosis [ 104 ].

Three of the papers were concerned with costs and/or reimbursement. The application of medical technologies in the home environment can be cost-effective when compared to institutionalized care [ 22 , 105 , 106 ]. Nevertheless, successful employment of medical technologies in the home necessitates medical guidelines for the indicators for use, careful identification of patients as well as careful planning and attention to details [ 105 , 106 , 107 ]. Two studies concerned the dilemma’s for implementation of the technologies in home healthcare and emphasized the importance of cooperation in the chain of key stakeholders to maximize efficiency of high-tech healthcare at home, one with regard to the purchasing policy of medical technologies [ 108 ] and one with regard to the interventions of local community service centres and hospitals supporting optimal use of these technologies in the home setting [ 5 ].

The use of medical technologies in the home setting has drawn increased attention in health care over the last 15 years, as the feasibility of this type of medical support has rapidly grown. This article systematically reviewed the international literature with regard to the state of the art on this subject, in order to provide a comprehensive overview.

Trend analysis over the period 2000–2015 shows that most research has been conducted about respiratory support, dialysis and oxygen therapy; relatively little about vacuum assisted wound closure and continuous passive motion, and no about decubitus treatment, skeletal traction and UV therapy. A substantial increase in publications was found in the period 2011–2015. Although the number of studies on technologies is indicative of the extent to which they are used in home settings, however, no firm conclusions can be drawn about this.

This review also identified that most research is conducted with regard to ‘user experiences’ of medical technologies in the home, ‘safety, risks, incidents and complications’, and ‘design and technological development of medical technologies’. There have been relatively few studies which have explored the topic of training, instruction and education. Content analysis showed that the use of AMTs in the home setting can have both a positive and a negative psychosocial impact on the patients and their families, and that it has become part of self-management and patient empowerment. Successful use of advanced equipment requires adequate education and training programmes for both patients, informal caregivers and nurses or other professionals. When trying to maximize or assure safety, technological, environmental and human factors have to be taken into account, and it is evident that human factors are the main reason for critical incidents. Studies on the design and technological development of medical technologies emphasize that research is necessary to improve its possibilities and effectiveness. The research found on the application of the technologies focused predominantly on children and the results indicate that the rate of the use of home medical devices among children after hospital discharge is common. Also that when compared to institutionalized care, the application of medical technologies in the home environment can be cost-effective. Much is known, but information on several key issues is limited or lacking.

An important finding was that in almost all the reviewed articles, the study subjects were patients or informal caregivers with very few studies focused on the role and activities of nurses or other professionals as users. This was unexpected as nurses are the main group of users of AMTs at home and they have to transfer knowledge and skills on how to use the devices to patients and other caregivers. Nurses also have a key role in setting up and maintaining collaboration between all actors involved in the process of care with regard to the use of home medical technologies and in giving support to patients and family members in this respect. There is need to initiate further in depth research on AMTs use at home focusing on the role of specifically nurses.

Another interesting result was that, despite the fact that most adverse events with AMTs at home are caused by human factors, hardly any studies conducted on this subject were found. None of the articles focused on related human factors regarding the use by nurses or other professional caregivers, although this is the main user group. Research on this area could contribute to improved patient safety and quality of care. The results also revealed the tension between the advantages and disadvantages of medical technologies as experienced by patients at home. Important aspects needed to promote the benefits include improving the user-friendliness of the devices and attuning their designs for the use in home settings. This emphasizes the importance of professionals (and patient groups) working together with the designers with regard to sharing knowledge and user experiences of the use of AMTs at home in order to improve quality of care and patient safety. This collaboration emerged as of key importance in the successful use of AMTs in the home as well.

Although all included articles were retrieved from academic databases and served our purpose, there was considerable heterogeneity of quality of the studies. Most of the studies have explicitly described their research design, albeit to a greater or lesser extent. On the other hand, there were a few studies that did not even mention their methodological approach, though it could be derived from the description. Most included reviews are of moderate quality. Although findings are almost always described clearly, the search strategy and selection criteria used are often lacking. The quantitative studies are generally well described in different methodological aspects, such as selection of respondents, research design, data collection methods and analyses. Studies of qualitative nature show more variation in the depth with which the design is described. However, almost all qualitative studies have described the research instruments very well, such as semi-structured interviews or questionnaires. Despite the varying quality of the studies, we believe that the whole of different methodological approaches and the relatively large number of included studies ( n = 87) has yielded a fairly reliable overview on the international state of art concerning various aspects of the use of advanced medical technologies at home. For future research, we recommend to emphasize the development of a more detailed methodological design, zooming in on specific technologies, using large databases or conducting large surveys, and focusing on specific groups of respondents. Both in quantitative and in qualitative studies, a good definition of the research question(s), selection of respondents, development of instruments and analysis of findings, contributes to validity, consistency and neutrality.

Some limitations do have to be taken into account with this review. Although we used the RIVM-definition of ‘advanced medical technology’, not all devices are considered as ‘complex devices’ by nurses in practice. For example, the use of an anti-decubitus mattress in the context of ‘decubitus treatment’ and ‘patient lifting hoists’ are considered by nurses as being of less or lower complexity. However, overall the RIVM-classification was found to be a good starting point, and provided a practical and useful framework from which to work to gain an insight and overview of available medical technologies. Of some of the chosen technologies defined using the RIVM-classification of AMTs, questions do have to be asked as to whether they really are part of the technical skills in nursing process. For example, ‘external electrostimulation’ and ‘continuous passive motion’ are mainly applied by physiotherapists, although with appropriate training nurses can apply them. Then too, devices regarded as only ‘monitoring’ were excluded from the review.

This systematic review study was designed to fill a gap in the current research by investigating what is known about different aspects of medical technologies used in the home. From the results it is obvious that a wide and growing range of medical technologies are used at home. Different types of technologies have been subject of study, increasingly –also in scope- over the period 2011–2015.

Professional nurses have a central role in the process of homecare which has to be recognized when considering use of AMTs at home. Nurses have to support patients and family caregivers and in consequence have a key role in providing information for, and as a member of multi-disciplinary teams. Closer collaboration by all actors involved in the process of care and feedback of user experiences to the designers is essential for the provision of high quality of care and patient safety.

This review also identified a lack of research exploring the perspectives of nurses in the processes involved in introducing and maintaining technology in homecare. Most of the research has been conducted regarding the experiences of patient experience and how informal caregivers perceive their role in using medical technologies at home. The few studies that were found, demonstrate the need for more research focused on the experiences of nurses working with advanced technologies in the home. The same applies to research on training, instruction and education to use medical technologies, as in these areas too, there was limited available research so here again there is need for further research. Despite the fact that most adverse events with medical technologies in home settings are caused by human factors, our findings also identified a lack of research in this area for nurses.

This study demonstrates that, although there is increasing attention on and recognition of the need for the use of medical technologies in the environment of the home, the research has not kept pace with the advances in care. Subjects such as user experiences of nurses with different technologies, training, instruction and education of nurses and human factors by nurses in risk management and patient safety urgently need to be investigated by further research.

Abbreviations

Automatic external defibrillator

Advanced medical technology

Continuous positive airway pressure

European Commission

Information technology

National Center for Health Statistics

Negative pressure ventilation

Peripherally inserted central catheters

Randomized Control Trial

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

Ultraviolet

Ventricular assist device

World Health Organization

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ten Haken, I., Ben Allouch, S. & van Harten, W.H. The use of advanced medical technologies at home: a systematic review of the literature. BMC Public Health 18 , 284 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5123-4

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Original Research 21 June 2022 A Pilot Study of Using Smartphone Application vs. Routine Follow-Up for Patient Care in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era Naiyarat Prasongsook , 2 more and Kittipong Udomdamrongkul 1,277 views 1 citations

Original Research 14 June 2022 Computational Modeling of Deep Tissue Heating by an Automatic Thermal Massage Bed: Predicting the Effects on Circulation Jacek P. Dmochowski , 6 more and Marom Bikson 1,775 views 0 citations

Loading... Original Research 05 April 2022 Preliminary Analysis of Burn Degree Using Non-invasive Microwave Spiral Resonator Sensor for Clinical Applications Pramod K. B. Rangaiah , 5 more and Robin Augustine 1,672 views 4 citations

18 Descriptive Research Examples

Descriptive research examples and definition, explained below

Descriptive research involves gathering data to provide a detailed account or depiction of a phenomenon without manipulating variables or conducting experiments.

A scholarly definition is:

“Descriptive research is defined as a research approach that describes the characteristics of the population, sample or phenomenon studied. This method focuses more on the “what” rather than the “why” of the research subject.” (Matanda, 2022, p. 63)

The key feature of descriptive research is that it merely describes phenomena and does not attempt to manipulate variables nor determine cause and effect .

To determine cause and effect , a researcher would need to use an alternate methodology, such as experimental research design .

Common approaches to descriptive research include:

Cross-sectional research : A cross-sectional study gathers data on a population at a specific time to get descriptive data that could include categories (e.g. age or income brackets) to get a better understanding of the makeup of a population.
Longitudinal research : Longitudinal studies return to a population to collect data at several different points in time, allowing for description of changes in categories over time. However, as it’s descriptive, it cannot infer cause and effect (Erickson, 2017).

Methods that could be used include:

Surveys: For example, sending out a census survey to be completed at the exact same date and time by everyone in a population.
Case Study : For example, an in-depth description of a specific person or group of people to gain in-depth qualitative information that can describe a phenomenon but cannot be generalized to other cases.
Observational Method : For example, a researcher taking field notes in an ethnographic study. (Siedlecki, 2020)

Descriptive Research Examples

1. Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (Psychology): Researchers analyze various behavior patterns, cognitive skills, and social interaction abilities specific to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to comprehensively describe the disorder’s symptom spectrum. This detailed description classifies it as descriptive research, rather than analytical or experimental, as it merely records what is observed without altering any variables or trying to establish causality.

2. Consumer Purchase Decision Process in E-commerce Marketplaces (Marketing): By documenting and describing all the factors that influence consumer decisions on online marketplaces, researchers don’t attempt to predict future behavior or establish causes—just describe observed behavior—making it descriptive research.

3. Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Practices (Environmental Studies): Descriptive research is seen as scientists outline how climate changes influence various agricultural practices by observing and then meticulously categorizing the impacts on crop variability, farming seasons, and pest infestations without manipulating any variables in real-time.

4. Work Environment and Employee Performance (Human Resources Management): A study of this nature, describing the correlation between various workplace elements and employee performance, falls under descriptive research as it merely narrates the observed patterns without altering any conditions or testing hypotheses.

5. Factors Influencing Student Performance (Education): Researchers describe various factors affecting students’ academic performance, such as studying techniques, parental involvement, and peer influence. The study is categorized as descriptive research because its principal aim is to depict facts as they stand without trying to infer causal relationships.

6. Technological Advances in Healthcare (Healthcare): This research describes and categorizes different technological advances (such as telemedicine, AI-enabled tools, digital collaboration) in healthcare without testing or modifying any parameters, making it an example of descriptive research.

7. Urbanization and Biodiversity Loss (Ecology): By describing the impact of rapid urban expansion on biodiversity loss, this study serves as a descriptive research example. It observes the ongoing situation without manipulating it, offering a comprehensive depiction of the existing scenario rather than investigating the cause-effect relationship.

8. Architectural Styles across Centuries (Art History): A study documenting and describing various architectural styles throughout centuries essentially represents descriptive research. It aims to narrate and categorize facts without exploring the underlying reasons or predicting future trends.

9. Media Usage Patterns among Teenagers (Sociology): When researchers document and describe the media consumption habits among teenagers, they are performing a descriptive research study. Their main intention is to observe and report the prevailing trends rather than establish causes or predict future behaviors.

10. Dietary Habits and Lifestyle Diseases (Nutrition Science): By describing the dietary patterns of different population groups and correlating them with the prevalence of lifestyle diseases, researchers perform descriptive research. They merely describe observed connections without altering any diet plans or lifestyles.

11. Shifts in Global Energy Consumption (Environmental Economics): When researchers describe the global patterns of energy consumption and how they’ve shifted over the years, they conduct descriptive research. The focus is on recording and portraying the current state without attempting to infer causes or predict the future.

12. Literacy and Employment Rates in Rural Areas (Sociology): A study aims at describing the literacy rates in rural areas and correlating it with employment levels. It falls under descriptive research because it maps the scenario without manipulating parameters or proving a hypothesis.

13. Women Representation in Tech Industry (Gender Studies): A detailed description of the presence and roles of women across various sectors of the tech industry is a typical case of descriptive research. It merely observes and records the status quo without establishing causality or making predictions.

14. Impact of Urban Green Spaces on Mental Health (Environmental Psychology): When researchers document and describe the influence of green urban spaces on residents’ mental health, they are undertaking descriptive research. They seek purely to understand the current state rather than exploring cause-effect relationships.

15. Trends in Smartphone usage among Elderly (Gerontology): Research describing how the elderly population utilizes smartphones, including popular features and challenges encountered, serves as descriptive research. Researcher’s aim is merely to capture what is happening without manipulating variables or posing predictions.

16. Shifts in Voter Preferences (Political Science): A study describing the shift in voter preferences during a particular electoral cycle is descriptive research. It simply records the preferences revealed without drawing causal inferences or suggesting future voting patterns.

17. Understanding Trust in Autonomous Vehicles (Transportation Psychology): This comprises research describing public attitudes and trust levels when it comes to autonomous vehicles. By merely depicting observed sentiments, without engineering any situations or offering predictions, it’s considered descriptive research.

18. The Impact of Social Media on Body Image (Psychology): Descriptive research to outline the experiences and perceptions of individuals relating to body image in the era of social media. Observing these elements without altering any variables qualifies it as descriptive research.

Descriptive vs Experimental Research

Descriptive research merely observes, records, and presents the actual state of affairs without manipulating any variables, while experimental research involves deliberately changing one or more variables to determine their effect on a particular outcome.

De Vaus (2001) succinctly explains that descriptive studies find out what is going on , but experimental research finds out why it’s going on /

Simple definitions are below:

Descriptive research is primarily about describing the characteristics or behaviors in a population, often through surveys or observational methods. It provides rich detail about a specific phenomenon but does not allow for conclusive causal statements; however, it can offer essential leads or ideas for further experimental research (Ivey, 2016).
Experimental research , often conducted in controlled environments, aims to establish causal relationships by manipulating one or more independent variables and observing the effects on dependent variables (Devi, 2017; Mukherjee, 2019).

Experimental designs often involve a control group and random assignment . While it can provide compelling evidence for cause and effect, its artificial setting might not perfectly mirror real-worldly conditions, potentially affecting the generalizability of its findings.

These two types of research are complementary, with descriptive studies often leading to hypotheses that are then tested experimentally (Devi, 2017; Zhao et al., 2021).

Benefits and Limitations of Descriptive Research

Descriptive research offers several benefits: it allows researchers to gather a vast amount of data and present a complete picture of the situation or phenomenon under study, even within large groups or over long time periods.

It’s also flexible in terms of the variety of methods used, such as surveys, observations, and case studies, and it can be instrumental in identifying patterns or trends and generating hypotheses (Erickson, 2017).

However, it also has its limitations.

The primary drawback is that it can’t establish cause-effect relationships, as no variables are manipulated. This lack of control over variables also opens up possibilities for bias, as researchers might inadvertently influence responses during data collection (De Vaus, 2001).

Additionally, the findings of descriptive research are often not generalizable since they are heavily reliant on the chosen sample’s characteristics.

See More Types of Research Design Here

De Vaus, D. A. (2001). Research Design in Social Research . SAGE Publications.

Devi, P. S. (2017). Research Methodology: A Handbook for Beginners . Notion Press.

Erickson, G. S. (2017). Descriptive research design. In New Methods of Market Research and Analysis (pp. 51-77). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Gresham, B. B. (2016). Concepts of Evidence-based Practice for the Physical Therapist Assistant . F.A. Davis Company.

Ivey, J. (2016). Is descriptive research worth doing?. Pediatric nursing , 42 (4), 189. ( Source )

Krishnaswamy, K. N., Sivakumar, A. I., & Mathirajan, M. (2009). Management Research Methodology: Integration of Principles, Methods and Techniques . Pearson Education.

Matanda, E. (2022). Research Methods and Statistics for Cross-Cutting Research: Handbook for Multidisciplinary Research . Langaa RPCIG.

Monsen, E. R., & Van Horn, L. (2007). Research: Successful Approaches . American Dietetic Association.

Mukherjee, S. P. (2019). A Guide to Research Methodology: An Overview of Research Problems, Tasks and Methods . CRC Press.

Siedlecki, S. L. (2020). Understanding descriptive research designs and methods. Clinical Nurse Specialist , 34 (1), 8-12. ( Source )

Zhao, P., Ross, K., Li, P., & Dennis, B. (2021). Making Sense of Social Research Methodology: A Student and Practitioner Centered Approach . SAGE Publications.

Dave Cornell (PhD)

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241 Medical Research Topics: Original Ideas List

As an applied science, attaining the level of becoming a professional requires getting a medical science certificate. To get this, you need to have studied in a university and fulfilled all professional academic requirements.

However, when it comes to writing your project or contributing a paper to a journal, it may be very difficult to wrap your head around good medical surgical research topics or controversial medical research topics to discuss.

This article shares custom medical topics for research papers for you. Before you see them, get to know a few things that must be seen in a good medical research paper.

Medicine is a field that deals with human health. It requires the activities of people like doctors, nurses, and many other specialists handling the different sections of the field.

Medicine as a profession encompasses the tests, treatment, and prevention of diseases through medical research and the actual application of such research. The goal is always to promote and maintain the collective health of everyone in the globe.

Characteristics of a Good Medical Research Paper

Every research has distinct things that make it exceptional. When these things are lacking in some field, it’s a failure. This is why your professors and teachers will be pleased if your paper have these.

Research is Based on Great Research Questions

Your research is developed on research questions that are relevant to the field. This is where you get to define the scope and the cases you want to base your research. To formulate your research question, you must assess its feasibility, newness, ethics, and relevance to the current discussions.

Significant Research Methodology

This is what determines the success of your paper. You must note that you need both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Adhering to these means that your paper examined patients’ experiences and behaviors as well as the observation of various data.

Discuss Previous Knowledge on the Subject

A good paper must show knowledge on the topic by discussing previous works done on the subject. Through this, you can shed light on the darker parts and evaluate your objectives.

The Use of Relevant Data

Your paper must not be based on what you believe. They must be reliable, which is why there is a need for unbiased evidence. For this, you must collect data, analyze them, and apply them while writing.

It is Reproductive

Your research must not be one without consistency or productivity. Your research must be available and transparent to specialists or researchers who are taking it up. Your paper must include how you examined the subject, the details of the research, and how you reached the conclusions of your discussion.

Your Research Should Be Ethical

Your research may have limits, but that’s what makes it ethical. You must research using standards of objectivity, accountability, honesty, and other medical values which ensures that you don’t violate anybody or objects in the course of research. Aside from this, your research must not be plagiarized, falsified, or fabricated.

Your research must also be appropriately structured into introduction, main body, discussion, and conclusions. Examine this structure:

Introduction Your introduction is a short review of your title. It must include the shortcomings of existing research, the aim, and objectives of your study, the scope, as well as the methodology to attain a full understanding of your topic. Your introduction may be chapter one if you’re writing a project or it may take a few pages of your paper. The Main Body This is where you share the reasons for some of the tests you conducted and your analysis of such tests. If you’re also engaged in statistical analysis, you also need to discuss the results here. This is where you tender your data, correlate them, and draw your conclusions. In all these, you must emphasize your message and the reasons for it. Conclusion This is where you write the advantages and limitations of your study. You can also recommend other authors whose work clarifies some of the things your work hasn’t clarified. The conclusions is also where you give a summary of your paper.

Now that you know the characteristics of a good medical paper as well as the structure, you can choose any of these topics for your use. On the other side, you always have an opportunity to custom dissertation help from our expert team.

Medical Research Topics

As a necessity to fulfilling your academic or professional requirements, you need quality medical research paper topics to choose from. These are topics that encompass basic things about human health, even adult and teenage lifestyles.

The effect of eating disorder on teen development
Effects of systemic lupus on kids
How birth Injury affects the mental health of a child
How does a sickness become a stereotype?
The process of managing acute otitis media
Role of social workers in raising special children
The role of social workers in protecting abused kids
The importance of childhood cancer treatment
Why does cancer happen to kids
The dangers of continuous assault on kids
How do the microbes in the body affect or influence the growth
The role of immunity in disease prevention
How to improve the probability of recovering from a stroke in adult women
Describe the ways of attenuation in issues of bone tissue destruction
Examine how stroke affects the brain
What are the recent findings in the study of human microbial ecology?
How to diagnose a poisoned patient
What is the mechanism used in explaining seasonal affective disorder (SAD
What are the dangers surgery helps patients avoid
Is surgery the last resort for those who couldn’t achieve weight loss?
What are the limitations of the human physical structures
How has the human physical structure affected abilities in selected careers like athletics
Examine the evolution of HIV AIDS in Africa
Discuss the evolution of HIV AIDS in America
Study three bipolar disorder patients and document your findings
Study three cancer patients and discuss suggestions of treatment
How does stroke lead to communication difficulty?
The correlation of knee osteoarthritis to obesity
How the central lateral thalamus helps with consciousness
Risk of medically induced coma
Risks of sickness during post-transplantation
How sports promote mental health attitudes
Discuss the challenges facing public hospitals.

Medical Research Papers Topics

If you want to contribute to a journal or you’re required to write a paper in school, how do you intend to go about it? Finding a topic can give you troubled moments, it could even ruin your mood. This is why there are professional medical topics for research papers, some of which are:

Consequences of drug misuse drawing from 5 ADHD patients
The encounter of type 1 diabetes in kids
Differences in the challenge of movement disorders in adults and kids
How clinical trials can be a change or a societal menace
The concept of secondhand smoke and danger to kids
Predictive testing: what does it mean?
Genetic research and the ethics of integrating adults
Thorough overview of the omicron virus
Thoroughly examine the trends of pandemics
Infant death syndrome and the symptoms that causes it
Parkinson’s disease and its correlation to stroke
Recent trends in the study of autism spectrum disorder
How genetics helps in understanding hereditary diseases
Discuss the problems facing W.H.O.
What is social anxiety disorder (SAD)
Cerebral palsy: an overview of existing genetic study
Role of genetics in human wellness
The importance of health in the workplace
The limitations of insurance and how it affects healthcare
The challenges that put kids at risks
How meningitis’s risk increases in children
The relationship between genetics and nutrition
Relations between iron deficiency and obesity
Study the pros and cons of breastfeeding
Why do women’s breast sag while breastfeeding?
Recent ways to diagnose asthma
Healthcare challenges to understanding eye complications
What has hindered the performance of health organizations in the world
Discuss the medical approach to help in reducing suicide
Causes of eating disorders.

Medical Anthropology Research Topics

Anthropology is a field that studies humans through its social lens. It does this through both cultural and sometimes societal and historical perspectives. Medical anthropology is enthralled by this, which is why this field is also important in medicine. Consider these current medical research topics:

An examination of why people from a region are short
The medical culture of China
The medical culture in England
Multigenerational addiction and how it affects kids
The growth of subjective experience in healthcare
What are the challenges caused by disability
How caffeine endangers human health
Sleep disorders and the role of drugs
How medical pluralism came to be and its relevance in contemporary medicine
Impact of incarceration on health
Discuss how African history affect interest in western medicine
Dangers of racial healthcare treatment
Most critical cause of death in the US
Consequences of environmental disorders on human health
How much does the environment of India lead to its death rate
How does culture affect medical exposure?
The basis of chronic illness and premature death
Comparative assessment of disability and chronic health on children
An overview of cultural bias in anatomy studies
How speech hearing and loss affect growth
Contributions of Egypt to medicine
The contribution of Greek medical systems to medicine.

Controversial Medical Topics for Research Paper

Different topics remain highly controversial in today’s healthcare. These are topics that are both essential to discuss and significant in the future of medicine. These current medical research topics are worthy of examination:

Discuss any five contradictory arguments on the need for euthanasia
Difference between euthanasia on animals and humans
Ethical issues in stem cells
The question of abortion and the choice of women
How much is enough for a vaccine test?
How had gender bias affected medical research
Role of policies in regulating healthcare services
Antidepressants and the challenge of human growth
African supplements equate western drugs
Discuss any three medical conspiracy theories
How chronic fatigue affect human health
To what extent can individuals claim ownership of life?
To what extent can an owner claim ownership of the life of a pet?
What are the controversies regarding plastic surgeries?
Is the growth in medical know-how a threat to people?
The network between mental health and abortion
Sexual enhancement products and consequences
Challenges smoking pose on the society
Fast food and junk food: consequences
Dangers of genetic engineering
Dangers of genetic engineering in robots.

Medical Research Topics for College Students

As college students, you also need to discover topics that could help with your understanding of medicine better. These are topics that offer insights into the field itself; exploratory topics. You can consider these interesting medical research topics for your level:

Significant changes in consumption patterns in America
Relationship between obesity and food allergy
The role of music therapy in pain management
What are the roles of art in pain management?
Changes in food consumption globally
Side effects of obesity
Dangers of low sugar intake
Dangers of high sugar intake
The hazards of low fruit and vegetable consumption
Teenage pregnancy and challenges in Africa
Abortion and superstitions in the Middle East
Teenage pregnancy and challenges of healthcare in India
Rape and health repercussions to victims
The psychology of trauma
Concept of hereditary trauma
How to treat dementia in Africa
Dangers of the rise in dementia globally
Preventive strategy of social viruses like AIDS
An overview of leading researches on breast cancer
Challenge of lifestyle choices in middle-aged women
How teenage lifestyle choices could affect adults
Health challenges of boxing
Recent approaches to seizure disorders
Maintaining immune system in HIV patients
Strategies to enhance affordable public healthcare
Is digital health a threat to existing health systems
An overview of nanotechnology in healthcare
Importance of digital medical records
The consequences of greenhouse gas emissions
How ICT has influenced the healthcare sector
How to prevent workplace healthcare challenges.

Interesting Medical Research Topics

Would you like some interesting research topics? You can discuss any of these medical topics for research papers. They are interesting research topics for medical students which are often intriguing, serious, yet exciting.

What is autism?
Discuss the challenges of post-transplantation of liver
How does energy-dense food affect people?
Consequences of social media addiction on health
How to improve fresh food consumption
How to improve the services of social workers
How global warming affects global health
How to enhance health literacy
The Relationship between cultural awareness and literacy
The challenges of alcohol misuse in teenagers
Reasons for high blood pressure
High blood pressure in low-income countries and high-income countries
Factors leading to high mortality rates
Factors leading to population growth
Future predictions of healthcare
Tobacco and public health: the problem
Differences in health issues in low and high-income countries
How to prevent STDs in teenagers
How pregnancy could complicate hypertension
Preventive measures to birth accident
The consequences of the elderly population on global health
Comment on the healthcare concerns in America, England, and Nigeria
How has physical activity helped maintain health?
Influence of physical activities on mental health
The challenges of age-propelled illnesses
How does growth affect human abilities
Concerns of pharmaceutical companies in global health
Concerns of health tech companies in global health
Problems of healthcare with supplements
How supplements have helped avoid complications in healthcare.

Medical Ethics Research Paper Topics

As it is in many other professions, there are ethics to healthcare activities. These ethics are sometimes up for debate. If you’d like to discuss any of these, choose from these interesting research topics for medical students:

Everyone does not need to put on masks outdoor
How the coronavirus vaccine proved ineffective
The gross differences in results of vaccines in western countries and Africa
Replacement of nurses by robots: right step?
Lack of doctors’ allowance for extra hours of work
The challenges of assisted suicide in hospitals
Human organs and ethics
Ethics of saving a pregnant women
Crisis of selective reproduction
Crisis of healthcare services to low-income families
The need for counseling for HIV/AIDS patients
Confidentiality assurance of medical histories
Is it a criminal offense to give poor medical results leading to a patient’s death?
What are the possibilities of a disease-free globe
Why morticians need special psychological counseling.

Medical Sociology Research Topics

You may need to attempt topics on social health in medicine. These are topics that are likewise related to public health. You can attempt the following:

How malnutrition affects students
How obesity affects African children
High cholesterol and health consequences
How expensive drugs often lead to the death of low-income earners
Global efforts to reduce smoking
Influence of pollutants on health
An overview of the protective essence of alcohol on health
How to prevent chronic backache
How to avoid drunk driving
The crisis of supplements in Africa
Comment on the role of black magic in healthcare
Discuss the harmful objects leading to lung cancer
How to improve the quality of life
How to improve the high mortality rate
How video games can lead to illnesses
Impact of flights on public health
Significance of research in mental health
How stigma affects patients of HIV/AIDS
The devastating effects of tech innovations in public healthcare
How to control cancer through research.

Medical Microbiology Research Topics

Microbiology is a branch that delves into microorganisms and their consequences on living organisms. This extends to man and animals. In medicine, it implies how medical healthcare services and systems combat the consequences of these organisms. You can consider the following topics:

Reasons which lead to the exacerbation of sports Injuries leading to slow recovery
The challenges of managing limb loss and the statistics of the people it is affecting
How patient-based diagnosis remains underestimated in some cases of healthcare as well as the consequences
Challenges of imaging in biomedical research
Concept of bacterial meningitis and how to diagnose it
The concept of thermal rehabilitation approach in the cases of Neurodegeneration
The consequences of hemodialysis and how it affects victims of chronic kidney insufficiency
Growth of lung cancer and the attempt of repute authorities in attacking it
Leading research in the new variant of COVID-19, the omicron virus
Comment on the statements made by South African officials about the mildness of the omicron virus
Examine the virologic concepts of seasonal influenza and its effects
Examine in detail the ethics and regulations placed on using animals during biomedical research and testing
Discuss existing diagnoses and classifications of blood cells disorder and its role in healthcare
How aging is influenced by external changes
How to protect the laboratory during an earthquake
Examine recent discoveries in Alzheimer’s disease
How does the union of people help in avoiding stroke
A step by step guide to enhancing visual sights
Ways to approach viruses and their infestation in food
Revolutionary discoveries in microbiology.

Research Topics in Medical Biochemistry

You may also want to consider a few topics in biochemistry. These are topics that deal with the basis of chemistry, biology, and their relationship with medicine. You can discuss:

Investigate the height of potassium bromate in bread
Examine the performance of laboratory assistants in any pharmaceutical company of your choice
Discuss the number of chemicals in barber shops’ washing ingredients
How does the human skin react to toxic chemicals?
Discuss the different approaches to extracting or treating dental caries
Analyze a chemical particle in the soap of any two brands of your choice
Examine the pH value of water in any three brands of your choice
Cost of building delay in human health
The consequences of the swift resort to drugs at the perception of any illness
Walk to any market of your choice and select three different types of tomatoes. Comment on the phytochemical constituents
Evaluate the antioxidant constituents of the African nutmeg
Examine the anti-inflammatory challenges in Crateva adenosine dichloromethane fraction
The constituents of alcohol and the most dangerous properties
Ethics guiding home-brewed alcohol in the US
Content of Azadirachta Indica and its essence to human health
Comment on the physicochemical features of potatoes and sorghum
Disburse the chemical end mineral properties of hibiscus sabdariffa
Dangers of unprotected watercourses
The challenges of nuclear energy in a war triggered world.

Medical Research Paper Help

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201 Stellar Medical Researches Topics For Any Taste

If you are in a medical college, you probably understand the struggle students face in finding medical research topics. On top of having to view corpses during practical sessions, there is another scary part of looking for best-rated medical research topic ideas.

What Is A Medical Research Paper?

It refers to an academic paper designed to test medical students’ understanding of medicine’s various aspects. These include nursing, psychotherapy, surgery, diseases, and many more.

Finding great medical research paper topics is not as hard as most students perceive it to be. It is only the fear that turns down most students, preventing them from unleashing their potential. However, here are some of the readily available sources that will give you medical topics for research papers:

Reputable medicine-related websites such as the WHO’s Known books and scholarly journals in medicine A credible online writing site (such as ours)

Through this paper’s help, you will know how to write top-rated medical research papers topics in an easy-to-understand manner.

Medical Research Topics For College Students

Discuss why doctors use a snake in their logo
Why is the field of medicine not preferred by most students?
Evaluate the effectiveness of using simulations instead of natural bodies in a medical class
The role of therapy in advancing the economic and political status of a country
Why schools should incorporate First Aid skills as part of their curriculum
Are the medical internships too long for students?
Assess the possibility of paying doctors more than any other workers
Should all the staff in a medical facility have a background in medicine?
Discuss the impact of technological advancements on medicine
Do movies depict the unfair practice of medicine?
The perception of students towards medicine: A case study of middle school students
What is the greatest challenge facing doctors and clinicians?
Does the medical curriculum cover every aspect of medicine
Discuss the impact of online learning on medical students
Should doctors down their tools in case of a disagreement with their employers?
How often should one go for a dental check-up?
Analyze the number of medical colleges in the US
Should doctors undergo a psychological check-up after every three months?
What is the role of the government in ensuring a sustainable healthcare program?
The impact of long shifts to the mental state of a doctor

Med Research Topics in Nursing

Analyze the factors affecting elderly nursing care programs
Discuss why memory loss is associated with advancement in age
Should first responders to an accident scene dress the wounds of the victims?
Why is the field of nursing not a favorite for men?
Compare and contrast the roles of a doctor versus those of a nurse
Evaluate the effectiveness of nursing shifts in case of a pandemic
Why is the uniform of most nurses white in color?
Analyze the different ethical challenges associated with the nursing profession
What is the motivation story behind most of the nurses in work?
The impact of domestic violence on the effectiveness of a nurse
How nurses manage to stay sober despite the horrific scenes they encounter daily
Are nurses born or made: A case study of nurses at a hospital of your choice
The role of nurses in caring for those in Acoma
The impact of the nursing profession on one’s social interactions
Compare and contrast nursing in developing countries versus developed countries
Describe the effect of negligence on the part of the nurses to patients
Are nurses compensated enough for their labor?
Describe what constitutes a typical day of a nurse
Is stereotyping a leading cause for the dominance of females in the nursing profession
Conduct a critical analysis of the role of nurses in a surgery room

Interesting Medical Topics on Health

The impact of global warming on the behavior of disease-causing micro-organisms
Dealing with the problem of poor sanitation in developing countries
Why are the whites primarily susceptible to malaria attacks
Discuss why vaccines can only be effective if made within one year
Conduct a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of syringes versus tablets
What is the impact of taking a dose and not completing it?
Evaluate why sourcing doctors from outside may not be effective
Are the research papers on health conclusive enough?
Why governments need to invest more in the health systems of a nation
Barriers to affordable medical care among low-income families
What are the considerations for an effective universal healthcare program?
Analyze the various factors that impede the productivity of healthcare workers
The effectiveness of counseling and psychology before a surgery
Is it possible to achieve a healthy world with the ravaging effects of greenhouse gases?
The impact of private health firms on the existing public one
How to regulate the sale of medical products
Discuss why most people opt for advanced medical procedures overseas
Analyze the challenges encountered in maternity wards
The role of religious persons in a medical facility
Should the government tax medical products?

Medical Research Topics For High School Students

Discuss why HIV/AIDS has not found a cure to date
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The role of exercises and fitness in leading a healthy lifestyle
Why is there a need for health care reform measures
The part of fast-food restaurants in deteriorating the health of a country
Evaluate the impact of dietary supplements on one’s health
Reasons why Over-the-Counter prescription drugs are killing many
Considerations before going for a weight loss surgery
What are the medical reasons behind vegetarianism?
The impact of organic foods on the health of a person
Why depression is the leading cause of health complications among teens
Discuss drug abuse in the line of health impacts
Practical ways of helping a smoking addict to reform
Discuss the relationship between fat diets and obesity
Why do people who work in offices predominantly suffer from obesity?
Compare and contrast between cycling and jogging: Which is advisable?
Why do some people prefer injections while others opt for syrups?
Should medicine as a course be introduced at the high school level?
What are the physical traits and qualities of a person aspiring to do the treatment?
Evaluate the time taken to complete a medical course: is it long or short?

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Why is the world experiencing second and third waves of COVID-19?
Assess the viability and effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines?
How does washing hands prevent one from contracting COVID-19?
Compare and contrast the point of a surgical mask and one made of cloth
Discuss why there are more COVID-19 related deaths in European countries than African countries
The impact of quarantines on the mental state of a person
What is the maximum number of nasal swabs that a person should take?
Discuss the science behind social distancing in curbing the spread of the virus
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What determines the immunity of a person against coronavirus?
Evaluate the chances of contracting coronavirus from handling a corpse
Is it possible to eliminate coronavirus?
How effective are the COVID-19 certificates for travelers?
Is it possible to curb the spread of coronavirus in kindergartens?
Critically evaluate COVID-19 treatment and containment measures in developed and developing countries
The role of researchers in providing medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic
What are the differences between coronavirus and the Spanish flu?
Impact of economic recessions on the containment of the virus
Analyze the roles of various stakeholders in containing coronavirus
Discuss the mutation of the coronavirus

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Do doctors have the right to conduct abortions when it is a matter between life and death?
The ethical underlining of artificial insemination in man
Discuss why most surrogate parents are not considered
Is it right to use birth control pills for school-going children?
Discuss the impact of stem cell research on a society’s morals
Is plastic surgery, for whatever case, unethical?
Should male doctors attend to female patients?
Is it possible to achieve confidentiality in a hospital set-up?
Why do most male patients prefer being treated by female nurses?
Discuss the ethical implications behind sperm and egg donation
Is donating blood unethical? A case study of selected religious sects
Should families pay for medical bills after their death of their beloved one?
Discuss the implication of LGBTQ on medical care
Is it ethical to sell body organs before or after death?
Critically discuss the impact of transplanting a sexual organ
Discuss how to deal with teen pregnancy
How do religion, culture, and tradition differ from the field of medicine?
Are health insurance companies to cover all healthcare costs?
Discuss the impact of taxing on medical supplies
Who should be paid more between doctors and nurses?

Researchable Medical Research Topics Examples

Discuss the medical implications of male circumcision
The impact of political action on the effectiveness of health care systems
The role of international collaborations in improving medical care
Evaluate the challenges faced in the regulation of biomedical research
A survey of the different attitudes towards psychiatry in the United States
Evaluate the occupational safety concerns of medical laboratories
Discuss the considerations of a controlled clinical trial
Challenges during mass medical reparations: A case study of terrorist attacks
The essence of introducing research training in psychiatry
Evaluate the effectiveness of the courses offered in the medical colleges
Discuss the impact of the US-African medical partnerships
Why scientists need to collaborate in the case of a pandemic
Are vaccines the best way to prevent one from contracting a disease?
The impact of community-based participatory approaches in improving hygiene standards
The vital role of pharmacy workers in a medical profession
The critical place of knowledge and experience in the field of medicine
The role of stakeholders in developing better health care policies
The impact of demoralization of HIV/AIDS
Discuss the process of production and distribution of medical products
Analyze the critical aspect of globalization in medical research

Hot Medical Research Paper Topics For College Students

The role of medicine in setting and implementing food standards
What are the critical causes of gluten allergy
Is it ethical to conduct assisted suicide for terminal patients?
Ethical concerns of charging fees for patients who die in the process of treatment
The ethical considerations when conducting a postmortem
How is virtual reality transforming medicine?
An analysis of the myths and misconceptions surrounding medicine?
Why many people are against cloning
Is it legal to use marijuana as a medical product?
Evaluate the benefits and dangers of immunization at a tender age
Is increased life expectancy a burden on the healthcare system?
Analyze the health effects of female genital mutilation
The impact of the environment on human health
How to deal with deafness as a communication disorder
Discuss air pollution in the context of a household
Alcohol control practices
The public danger of diabetes
Urban population and respiratory diseases
Effectiveness of oral health assessments
Unhealthy diets

Unbeatable Research Topics in Medical Field

Factors leading to increased cancer cases
Resistance to insulin
Treating autism
Genetic engineering
Latest developments in cancer
Terrorism and mental health
Dealing with coma
Treating mental diseases
Inequalities in healthcare
Effects of smoking on body organs
Healthcare considerations for prison inmates
Economic development and healthcare
The role of infrastructure in healthcare systems
Recent developments in coronavirus
Genetic mutations
Benefits of banning tobacco ads
Dealing with anti-vaccine movements
How to deal with childhood trauma
Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder
Importance of the lymphatic system
How to care for the liver

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Research proposes virtual-dimension increase of EMG signals for prosthetic hands gesture recognition

by Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd

The electromyographic (EMG) signal is the bioelectrical current generated during muscle contraction. It can be transmitted as an input signal to an intelligent bionic prosthetic hand to control hand movements. By increasing the number of signal acquisition channels, richer information about the intention of the action can be captured, thus improving the success rate of the recognition of the intention of the action. However, it is not better to have more acquisition channels.

As the number of channels increases, the hardware system becomes more complex, and the effect of improving the accuracy of gesture recognition gradually decreases, resulting in the control effect reaching a bottleneck.

To address these issues, a team of researchers from Beijing Institute of Technology proposed a method to improve gesture recognition accuracy by virtually increasing the number of EMG signal channels.

The team published their findings in Cyborg and Bionic Systems .

This method extracts amplitude features from EMG signals to represent the contraction intensity of a muscle over time. The absolute values of the intensity differences between channels are then calculated. These difference values are merged with the original data to form new samples with more columns, simulating an actual increase in the dimensionality of the data. This makes use of the implicit coordination information between muscles during movement.

Even if the number of physical acquisition channels is limited, this approach improves recognition accuracy because it does not rely solely on the amount of data directly acquired by the sensor.

To validate their method, the authors compared the accuracy of gesture intent recognition before and after adding virtual dimensions. The accuracy of gesture recognition using EMG signals after the addition of virtual dimensions was improved compared to unprocessed EMG signals. In addition, the greater the number of EMG signal acquisition channels and the richer the EMG signals obtained, the higher the success rate of gesture recognition.

In addition, based on the filtered feature selection approach, the research team introduced a separability metric derived from the dispersion and correlation of the feature set (separability of feature vectors SFV). The SFV value can predict the classification effect before classification is performed and validate the effectiveness of the virtual dimensionality increase strategy in terms of the change in the separability of the feature set.

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April 18, 2024

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Research team resolves decades-long problem in microscopy

by Delft University of Technology

When viewing biological samples with a microscope, the light beam is disturbed if the lens of the objective is in a different medium than the sample. For example, when looking at a watery sample with a lens surrounded by air, the light rays bend more sharply in the air around the lens than in the water.

This disturbance leads to the measured depth in the sample being smaller than the actual depth. As a result, the sample appears flattened.

"This problem has been known for a long time, and since the 80s, theories have been developed to determine a corrective factor for determining the depth. However, all these theories assumed that this factor was constant, regardless of the depth of the sample. This happened despite the fact that the later Nobel laureate Stefan Hell pointed out in the 90s that this scaling could be depth-dependent," explains Associate Professor Jacob Hoogenboom from Delft University of Technology.

Calculations, experiments, and web tool

Sergey Loginov, a former postdoc at Delft University of Technology, has now shown with calculations and a mathematical model that the sample indeed appears more strongly flattened closer to the lens than farther away. Ph.D. candidate Daan Boltje and postdoc Ernest van der Wee subsequently confirmed in the lab that the corrective factor is depth-dependent.

The work is published in the journal Optica .

Last author Ernest Van der Wee says, "We have compiled our results into a web tool and software provided with the article. With these tools, anyone can determine the precise corrective factor for their experiment."

Understanding abnormalities and diseases

"Partly thanks to our calculation tool, we can now very precisely cut out a protein and its surroundings from a biological system to determine the structure with electron microscopy . This type of microscopy is very complex, time-consuming, and incredibly expensive. Ensuring that you are looking at the right structure is therefore very important," says researcher Daan Boltje.

"With our more precise depth determination, we need to spend much less time and money on samples that have missed the biological target. Ultimately, we can study more relevant proteins and biological structures. And determining the precise structure of a protein in a biological system is crucial for understanding and ultimately combating abnormalities and diseases."

In the provided web tool , you can fill in the relevant details of your experiment, such as the refractive indices, the aperture angle of the objective, and the wavelength of the light used. The tool then displays the curve for the depth-dependent scaling factor. You can also export this data for your own use. Additionally, you can plot the result in combination with the result of each of the existing theories.

Journal information: Optica

Provided by Delft University of Technology

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BMC Med Educ

Undergraduate research in medical education: a descriptive study of students’ views

Cristiano c oliveira.

1 Pathology Department, Botucatu School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, São Paulo 18618-000, Brazil

Renata C de Souza

2 Botucatu School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, São Paulo 18618-000, Brazil

Érika H Sassaki Abe

Luís e silva móz, lidia r de carvalho.

3 Biostatistics Department of the Botucatu Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University, São Paulo 18618-000, Brazil

Maria AC Domingues

Associated data.

Medical students engage in curricular and extracurricular activities, including undergraduate research (UR). The advantages, difficulties and motivations for medical students pursuing research activities during their studies have rarely been addressed. In Brazil, some medical schools have included undergraduate research into their curriculum. The present study aimed to understand the reality of scientific practice among medical students at a well-established Brazilian medical school, analyzing this context from the students’ viewpoint.

A cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire applied to students from years one to six enrolled in an established Brazilian medical school that currently has no curricular UR program.

The questionnaire was answered by 415 students, 47.2% of whom were involved in research activities, with greater participation in UR in the second half of the course. Independent of student involvement in research activities, time constraints were cited as the main obstacle to participation. Among students not involved in UR, 91.1% said they favored its inclusion in the curriculum, since this would facilitate the development of such activity. This approach could signify an approximation between the axes of teaching and research. Among students who had completed at least one UR project, 87.7% said they would recommend the activity to students entering the course.

Even without an undergraduate research program, students of this medical school report strong involvement in research activities, but discussion of the difficulties inherent in its practice is important to future developments.

Society holds important expectations of health professionals. Aside from their biomedical training, these include an active critical posture in relation to planning and conducting research aimed at increasing current knowledge, especially that which improves the living conditions and health of the general population [ 1 , 2 ].

In this relatively new professional context, universities from different countries are concerned about preparing medical students to meet the changing needs of society. The modern university is based on the triad of teaching, research and outreach activities and its application to medical training simultaneously requires technical and theoretical elements, the maturation of critical thought, development of the capacity for initiative, stimulation of independent self-directed learning and a sound approach to problem solving, whether basic or clinical science [ 3 - 8 ].

Undergraduate research (UR) has become an integral part of medical education in numerous countries and has influenced the subsequent performance of physicians, yielding positive results in the development of important skills, including critical analysis and leadership, whether or not the professional pursues an academic or research career [ 3 - 5 , 7 , 9 ].

According to medical students, UR is motivated mainly by a desire to improve learning, while endeavoring to increase selection chances in residency or specialization exams [ 4 , 6 - 10 ], as such, universities should offer opportunities for students to participate in the continued advancement of knowledge.

Recognizing the relevance of this type of extracurricular activity, numerous Brazilian universities have included it in discussions concerning the curriculum of medical courses, while in some, undergraduate research is integrated into the course [ 8 , 9 ]. The literature presents some experiences of linking disciplinary curricula for UR with the first year of medical school that quantitatively evaluate mandatory or elective programs [ 8 , 11 ], focusing on their production [ 9 ], citation impact [ 4 , 11 ], teacher/student involvement [ 4 , 7 ], number of projects developed and distribution of these in diverse medical areas [ 8 , 9 ]. However, the advantages, difficulties and motivations for medical students pursuing research activities during their studies have rarely been addressed [ 3 , 4 , 9 ].

The present work aimed to understand the reality of scientific practice among medical students at a well-established Brazilian medical school, determining factors that drive or hinder the pursuit of undergraduate research and analyzing the context of scientific practice during the undergraduate course from the students’ viewpoint.

The study design consisted of a cross-sectional model applied to 540 medical undergraduate students from years one to six, enrolled in the academic year of 2009 at Botucatu School of Medicine ( Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu , FMB) of São Paulo State University (UNESP), irrespective of their involvement in scientific research.

The FMB-UNESP is a Brazilian public institution that was founded in 1962, in which education, health care and research are interlinked. Its medical curriculum is structured in a traditional model: in the first two years, the students are involved in disciplines of basic health sciences; during the years three and four, they initiate the applied phase of the course; and final two years focus on internship. Medical students attend theoretical classes and participate in practical activities at all levels of health care. The students also develop extracurricular activities, including outreach, social, sports and research activities (undergraduate research).

No structured curricular program for research exists within the undergraduate course at the FMB. Thus, medical students who wish to conduct research activities during their undergraduate course need to find professors that are willing and available to orient their projects.

The study was approved by the Board of Undergraduate Medicine and the Research Ethics Committee of the FMB-UNESP. Students were invited to participate in the study and a term of free informed consent was signed prior to participation.

A semi-structured questionnaire, including questions and open-ended comments, was designed using input from undergraduate students, following a pilot study (see Additional file 1 ). The questionnaire divided the students into those involved in or who had participated in UR, and those not involved or who did not intend to participate. The latter group answered six questions concerning general principles: main contribution to student formation; main obstacle to participation; information provided by teachers; the value of a Scientific Method discipline and whether it would facilitate access to UR; and whether fixed periods in the curriculum would favor participation. The former answered 12 specific questions: reasons for pursing UR; main obstacles to participation; reasons for choosing the department and supervisor; whether UR increased their interest in the subject; possible contributions of UR to student learning; whether the supervisor organized meetings; their main expectation upon project completion; the importance of grades, extension activities and monitoring; whether they received a grant; and what course year they initiated their project. A subgroup of those who had completed at least one project answered five additional questions: how many completed projects; their duration; whether the results were published; whether the project influenced their decision regarding specialization; and whether they would recommend UR to students of the first year of medical course.

Descriptive analysis was performed on all quantitative variables and expressed as percentages. Some references to student comments are included for clarification.

General data

The questionnaire was answered by 415 students (yielding a response rate of 76.8%) from years one to six of the undergraduate course; the majority were women (n = 260, 62.7%). Among these 415 students, 18.8% were from first year, 18.3% were from second year, 18.8% were from third year, 15.18% were from fourth year, 16.62% were from fifth year and 12.3% were from sixth year.

The survey revealed that 219 (52.8%) students had not participated in any research project during undergraduate education. And 196 (47.2%) medical students had participated in some type of research project during undergraduate education.

Undergraduate research and motivation

The survey revealed that of the 219 (52.8%) students who had not participated in any research project during undergraduate education, 187 (85.4%) showed an interest. This group felt that the greatest contributions of UR to their training were increased medical knowledge (43.4%) and curriculum enrichment (29.2%), while 32 reported no plans for such activity.

The percentage of students involved in UR exceeded those not involved from year four onward (Figure 1 ). Development of a student’s first project began during year two of the course for 40.3%, followed by year three (36.2%), year four (13.3%), first year (7.1%) and during internship (2.0% in year five, 0.6% in year six). Among undergraduate students involved in research, 100 (51.0%) were conducting an UR project in June 2009, 25 (12.8%) were involved in more than one project in different departments and 71 (36.2%) had completed at least one UR project during the course.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 1472-6920-14-51-1.jpg

Percentage of FMB-UNESP undergraduate students involved in UR according to course year.

Analysis of these data also revealed that student motivation to participate in UR (Table 1 ) was related to curriculum enrichment (32.1%), associated with the need for a grant (19.9%) or the chance to increase their expertise in a particular area (17.3%). Grouping only fourth to sixth-year students, curriculum enrichment was cited by 80.1%. A small group (1.0%) mentioned other reasons for pursuing UR, including understanding the scientific method and learning how to design research projects.

Motivation behind the pursuit of UR among FMB-UNESP undergraduate students involved in research

Concerning curriculum enrichment, the attributes deemed most important were the grades obtained during undergraduate studies (52.0%), followed by extension activities, such as UR (38.6%), and monitorships in specific areas (9.6%). Reservations concerning the consistency of grades, their reflection on learning and their influence in residency exams and project submissions to funding agencies were discussed in students’ comments.

Regarding financial support from agencies that promote research development, 47.4% of the students received UR grants, 23.7% from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and 23.7% from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (data provided by the Institutional Grant Program for Undergraduate Research, PIBIC). We should add that 22.4% of respondents received no financial support while participating in UR.

The study’s objectives influenced the choice of the department in which 24.5% of respondents sought participation in UR, while the classes of the discipline influenced this choice for 19.4%, a very similar percentage to those who indicated that they intended to follow a specialization in the same department. The influence of positive experiences with colleagues in the department chosen was cited by 16.8% of respondents, while 8.2% cited the department’s tradition as justification. Associations between these topics were cited by 11.2%.

Undergraduate research and difficulties

Considering the respondents not involved with research, the two most important difficulties in implementing an UR project were the availability of time (67.7%) and finding a professor willing to orient and develop the research (21.2%) (Table 2 ). In agreement with these data, 64.1% of the respondents indicated that aggregating free periods to their timetables was fundamental for conducting scientific research; however, 32.0% recognized the importance of such periods, but claimed their absence was not the main obstacle. Respondents commented that additional time to conduct this type of activity would influence the quality of the projects developed, would enable clearer definition in the planning, organization and implementation of the same and assist in contacting a research supervisor (see Additional file 2 ).

The principal difficulties in conducting UR at FMB-UNESP according to the students

In addition, 180 (82.2%) students from this group affirmed the lack of information and dissemination of UR within the institution as a difficulty in implementing research, particularly in the first two years. Unfamiliarity with the concept, its importance, implementation, specific projects and the lack of contact with supervisors were all discussed.

The difficulties cited by non-participating students showed similarities with those involved in UR. For 50.2%, the availability of time was the principal obstacle, followed by problems concerning supervisor collaboration (14.2%) and lack of research funding (0.9%). Comments indicated not only the lack of time available among students, but also among professors/research supervisors.

The relationship between medical student and the research supervisor

FMB-UNESP students who want to conduct research need to find a relevant opportunity with a teacher. Among students involved in research, professors with time available to develop the project were the most frequently chosen, according to 32.1% of respondents. Other important points in this choice included the teacher’s motivation to conduct research (16.8%) and the didactic demonstrated in undergraduate classes (11.7%). A combination of these factors was reported by 5.1%. For 15.8%, colleagues who had developed projects with a particular supervisor were an important influence. Other reasons discussed included the influence of academic leagues/tutorials, the teacher’s capacity and curriculum, direct invitation and interest in the teacher’s line of research.

Students assessed supervisor involvement in organizing group meetings to discuss research projects and methodologies and promote research team integration. According to 49.0% of respondents, such meetings were organized and for 41.9%, they proved useful and were considered necessary to initiate productive activities, while 7.1% stated they were not very objective. Most respondents (51.0%) confirmed that no meetings occurred, but the proposal was considered interesting by 84.3% of this subgroup.

Undergraduate research and curriculum

Among non-participating students, 91.3% affirmed curricular inclusion would facilitate the pursuit of UR, because the scientific theory would be better understood and would enable greater contact with the teachers. However, even though a specific discipline for scientific practice was considered important (91.1%), 74.9% indicated it should be elective. For 1.2%, others advantages included providing space for UR and improving the quality of the projects developed by students. In contrast, 7.2% of students alleged that a specific discipline would not facilitate UR, rather research should be spontaneous, not an obligation.

Undergraduate research: contributions and expectation

Positive contributions of UR to learning were perceived by 63.8% of respondents during graduation. Another 33.2% affirmed they felt no specific contribution, though 16.8% expected to perceive some impact of UR in their future careers. For 91.8% of respondents, UR stimulated increased interest in the subject under investigation, with 33.2% recognizing its importance and 59.2% reporting improved understanding of the subject. It is worth highlighting that 8.2% of respondents confirmed no enhanced interest in the subject and 3.1% of the group believed UR contributed nothing to learning, concluding that its merits were restricted to curriculum enrichment.

The principal expectation cited by 65.3% of respondents concerning their projects was the publication/presentation of their findings at conferences, followed by learning scientific methodology and understanding the subject, 10.2% each. Developing critical understanding of medical publications was cited by 10.7%, while a combination of these factors was reported by 3.6% of students. Some students (28.0%) claimed interest in a university career, with 4.1% expressing a desire specifically related to the FMB-UNESP. Curiously, despite strong involvement in UR, only 2.0% of participating students confirmed clear aspirations of becoming researchers.

Students who had completed at least one UR project answered five additional questions. Among these, 67.9%, 21.9% and 10.2% had already completed one, two and three or more UR projects, respectively.

The majority of completed projects (67.9%) were presented at scientific meetings/congresses, 42.3% with a good chance of publication in an indexed journal and 25.6% that were unlikely to be published. Congress presentation plus article publication was achieved by 16.7% of the projects, while 5.1% were only published and 10.3% of the projects completed have yet to publicize their results (Table 3 ).

Final result of the projects developed by FMB-UNESP undergraduate students

Students who had terminated a UR project were asked whether they would recommend participation in research activities to those beginning medical school. The majority (88.7%) confirmed they would recommend such activities, while clarifying that UR produces more positive effects from year two or three onward.

The percentage of students involved in academic research in FMB-UNESP was higher than in a similar Brazilian study (28%) [ 12 ], but lower than in Norway (87%) [ 13 ]. According to several authors, the reasons that prevent students from participating in research activities range from lack of student awareness, to physical infrastructure deficits and unmotivated university staff, with some emphasis on ineffective institutional incentives to conduct UR [ 3 , 12 ]. The issue of stimulus for UR was raised by the students, who discussed several essential factors: information regarding the concept, its importance, contact with research supervisors, project execution and the provision of adequate information by teachers.

Analysis verified that the number of students involved in research increased from the first year, superseding those not involved from year four onward, when involvement peaked. European studies confirm that year two or three is the most likely period of UR initiation [ 4 , 13 ]. As the undergraduate course advances, a better foundation exists for students to conduct research in different fields of medicine, including showing concern for curriculum enrichment due to the appreciation of UR in interviews and for grant requests, until the students become involved in internship. During internship, the students concentrate on developing professional skills and preparing for medical residency exams [ 14 ].

Regardless of their involvement in UR projects or not, FMB-UNESP students reported lack of time as the primary obstacle to research. The rates reported here are substantially higher than in other Brazilian studies (23.7% [ 9 ], 10.1% [ 15 ]), differences that are probably related to the type of research and the course structure [ 9 ]. The FMB-UNESP teaching curriculum provides no fixed free periods, making it difficult to organize time for research projects and contacting supervisors, who also have rigorous schedules for teaching and assistance activities. For 63.9% of non-participating students, fixed free periods within the curriculum timetable are fundamental to student involvement in research. This issue appears more resolved in certain developed countries, particularly the USA [ 16 ].

Relationships with supervisors were cited as a difficulty by all students, primarily due to non-collaborative supervisors. Sarinho et al [ 9 ] reported that 9.6% of students mentioned this issue [ 9 ]; however, similar reports were not identified in European studies [ 4 , 13 ]. Discontinuity or difficulties in managing UR projects is linked to student demotivation, primarily centered on poorly integrated relationships with supervisors [ 17 ]. In this dynamic, the supervisor should have greater knowledge and thus their handling of this position influences the student/teacher relationship; the form of language used, their ability to express themselves, their skills set, posture and attitudes when conducting meetings and managing adverse factors are closely related to the success of supervision [ 18 , 19 ]. In agreement with these factors, the choice of supervisor by FMB-UNESP students considering UR was associated with teacher accessibility and influenced by the question of availability. Following these, the students discussed factors related to the teacher’s personal characteristics, including encouraging student involvement and didactic approach during class. Good performance in educational activities by a particular department was also important in this process, as were experiments successfully completed by the department and its teachers in previous research activities.

At the FMB-UNESP, UR students affirmed that the main reason they became involved was curriculum enrichment, similar to that observed elsewhere in Brazil [ 9 , 15 ] and other countries [ 4 - 7 , 13 , 16 ]. More than 50% of UR students were in the second half of the medical course, coinciding with the period when students focus on improving their curricula for employment and residency exams and interviews. Among non-participating students, the main contribution of UR to professional training was knowledge acquisition, followed by curriculum enrichment. The fact that most of those not involved in UR (84.0%) were in the first half of the course, when concerns about jobs and specialization are less prevalent, likely explains this difference.

In this study, only 47.2% of respondents confirmed they received UR grants, partially justifying why this issue is not an important motivator for participation, or a significant obstacle. Research grants are a valuable tool for the university and provide a social component to UR by collaborating in student maintenance, allowing them to invest in their studies [ 15 ]. Similar considerations were not identified in other studies, suggesting that in developing countries, a financial motive exists for pursing UR that does not influence medical students in developed nations, like the USA, Canada and Europe.

Promotion of regular group meetings to discuss ongoing projects was positively evaluated by the respondents (49%). Such meetings were also considered interesting by students involved in research which lacked this component during the execution of a project. Informative meetings and training sessions within the context of a research group are valuable, since they allow students contact with other research methodologies and subjects and permit interaction with other researchers.

Regarding the expectations of the students involved in UR, the main ones were presenting results at scientific meetings and journal publications, affirmed by 65.3% of the respondents. Students of an elective course in Canada (Critical Enquiry), held similar expectations (47% presentation, 76% publication) regarding future involvement in research [ 11 ]. Our analysis verified that among those who completed at least one project, 67.9% presented the results at scientific congresses and 16.7% achieved publication. This rate is favorable compared with another Brazilian study [ 9 ], where 81.5% of the work was neither published nor presented at scientific congresses, and is comparable to that verified for Dutch medical students, where 14,5% of the medical students published at least one scientific paper during the last three years of the medical course [ 5 ]; however, the quality and impact of FMB-UNESP student publications was not assessed here. Considering published articles involving student authors, the total volume for the FMB-UNESP is still lower than research intensive programs at Stanford University School of Medicine, where 90% of students were involved in research and 75% of undergraduates had published an article as the primary author as early as 1995 [ 16 ]. The longest running UR course in Brazil dates from 1995, but the results of this activity on medical education are far less consolidated than those reported by Stanford [ 14 , 16 ].

Similar to UR worldwide FMB-UNESP students evaluated UR positively, in that 63.8% of the respondents perceived the contributions of UR to their education at undergraduate level, a finding reinforced by their increased interest in the subject studied. Corroboration that UR is a positive experience is provided by the high percentage of students who would recommend UR to first-year medical students (88.7%). Nevertheless, students qualified their observations regarding the timing of such projects, recommending year two or three of the course, coinciding with the fact that 76.5% of them also initiated their projects at this stage of undergraduate education. Correspondingly, UR was evaluated positively at Stanford University, with 79% of the students expressing satisfaction, while affirming they were motivated to consider research (75%) and academic careers (60%) [ 17 ]. Among students involved in UR at the FMB-UNESP, 28.0% were considering academic careers; however, comparisons should consider the cultural, socioeconomic and temporal differences between the various studies available.

UR contributes to developing medical professionals with the ability to integrate scientific methodology and reasoning into their clinical practice and who pursue continuous improvement and upgrading [ 20 - 23 ]. Individuals who participate in research activities during undergraduate education, including future non-researchers, develop leadership skills that enable local/regional actuation in the context of their profession and specialization [ 14 , 17 , 22 - 24 ]. Recent studies have affirmed that UR students show improved communication skills, develop critical analysis and are successful in selection programs for postgraduate studies/medical residencies and in their working lives, achieving academic and/or professional titles faster, while presenting distinguished accomplishments in their professionalism and capacity [ 22 , 23 , 25 ].

That this context shows such favorable aspects for UR further provokes the discussion concerning its inclusion in medical school curricula, in Brazil or elsewhere. In our study, 90.9% of students not involved in UR believe a discipline focused on scientific methodology within the undergraduate course is important and would facilitate access to UR.

Research within the curricula of medical schools is part of a recent trend in medical education. Medical education is currently diversifying its scenarios to include emergency medicine and primary health care, following educational models that are also centered on the students as generators of knowledge. Studies suggest that research is an essential element in the formation of the new health professional [ 19 , 22 , 23 , 25 ], and ways to promote its inclusion are being discussed on campus and in the literature [ 26 ].

Proponents of the elective form believe that the time devoted to such training could be directed to other curricular activities, arguing that research data analysis is a task better performed by expert advisers appointed to preselect such contents. Those in favor of mandatory disciplines believe that the benefits of UR extend well beyond the limits of interpreting literature articles, providing an entire skills set that students can acquire in the development, implementation and dissemination of scientific work [ 4 , 9 , 20 , 22 ], redefining this activity as a tool of medical education to construct a new profile of the health professional. Recent Brazilian legislation aims to promote integration among medical education, the health system and society’s needs, capable of producing healthcare that is relevant to the community [ 27 ]; considering the benefits of undergraduate research in enabling future doctors, this should be considered an essential element in the continuing development of the medical curriculum in developing countries.

Conclusions

This research aimed to characterize undergraduate research in Brazilian medical school with a classic curriculum model. The survey was structured in a questionnaire of simple answers with space for open-ended comments. Despite these aspects, the study sought to understand student perception of UR in the institution studied in order to encourage reflection regarding new trends in the local medical curriculum.

At the FMB-UNESP, an important part of the students is involved in UR, this activity was well evaluated by students and the destination for the majority of projects is presentation of the results at scientific congresses. However, within the institution, there is no curricular program or similar structural incentive for UR. According to students not yet involved in research activities, implementing this type of discipline, whether mandatory or elective, could facilitate access to UR and minimize obstacles regarding the availability of time, making contact with supervisors, disseminating projects/lines of research and understanding scientific methodology, while elucidating the importance of UR and it usefulness in the practice of health professionals. Moreover, this approach could signify greater approximation between the axes of teaching and research, attracting more teacher-researchers to undergraduate education.

Undergraduate research at FMB-UNESP was characterized from the students’ viewpoint, providing important insights that could prove relevant to curriculum development. The medical students of the FMB-UNESP recognize the importance of UR in relation to their professional training and in understanding the influences of scientific practice in undergraduate medical education.

Competing interests

The authors each individually and collectively declare there are no conflicts of interest.

Authors’ contributions

The authors COO, RCS, EHSA and LESM participated in the design of the project, conducted the literature review, participated in the design of questionnaires, conducted the field work and contributions awarded to the final version of the article. The author LRC was responsible for the statistical analysis and participated in data interpretation. The author MACD was the principal investigator for the project. All authors approved the final version of the article.

Pre-publication history

The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/14/51/prepub

Supplementary Material

Questionnaire administered to students of medicine of Botucatu School of Medicine.

A selection of comments made by the students in the open-ended questions and spaces for comments.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participating students and the teachers who supported the study. The authors are also grateful to scientific text editor Philip Badiz for editing and proofreading the final English language version.

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