LIFESTYLE OWNED BY CLINICAL RESEARCHERS

SUMMARY: Although clinical researchers are commonly sought for academic departments, highly skilled and talented individuals who understand and can perform complex human studies are also needed by industry and government agencies. Clinical research is currently threatened by fundamental changes in the organization of health care, major efforts to contain health care expenditures, the high costs of performing clinical studies, such as those associated with drug development, that add to the growing health care budget, and a perceived reduction in the number of individuals pursuing careers in patient-based research. The committee fears that a health care environment that focuses solely on costs or the effort to contain costs will increase the disincentive to invest in clinical research.rnIn the following article we shall be focusing on the lifestyle these clinical researchers own during their careers depending upon the clinical research courses and branches they have opted and the lifestyle issues they have to face.rnDIFFERENT TYPES OF CLINICAL RESEARCH: • Treatment Research generally involves an intervention such as medication, psychotherapy, new devices, or new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy. • Prevention Research looks for better ways to prevent disorders from developing or returning. Different kinds of prevention research may study medicines, vitamins, vaccines, minerals, or lifestyle changes. • Diagnostic Research refers to the practice of looking for better ways to identify a particular disorder or condition. • Screening Research aims to find the best ways to detect certain disorders or health conditions. • Quality of Life Research explores ways to improve comfort and the quality of life for individuals with a chronic illness. • Genetic studies aim to improve the prediction of disorders by identifying and understanding how genes and illnesses may be related. Research in this area may explore ways in which a person’s genes make him or her more or less likely to develop a disorder. This may lead to development of tailor-made treatments based on a patient’s genetic make-up. • Epidemiological studies seek to identify the patterns, causes, and control of disorders in groups of people. rnLifestyle mainly depends upon the type of clinical researcher the person is. Since, some clinical research is “outpatient,” meaning that participants do not stay overnight at the hospital. Some is “inpatient,” meaning that participants will need to stay for at least one night in the hospital or research center.rnLIFESTYLE ISSUES:rnSimilar to individuals in other professional careers, physicians in training pursue various career paths with the expectation that they will have rewarding employment opportunities upon completion of their training. The pathway to being a successful clinical researcher is not an easy one. It requires energy, drive, ambition, devotion, initiative, entrepreneurship, individualism as well as team work, and plenty of hard work. In return, fair compensation is essential to afford adequate housing, provide for a family, and purchase a reliable automobile, particularly at the junior faculty level.rnMany trainees and junior faculty, however, perceive the financial security of an academic career as ephemeral. For many who have incurred large educational debt burdens during college and medical school, the financial insecurity of an academic career serves as a disincentive for choosing this career path. Many believe that the large educational debt, the discrepancy between the incomes of academically based physicians compared with those of physicians in private practice discourage trainees from pursuing academic career courses.rnCONCLUSION:rnIn conclusion, there are numerous hurdles confronting clinical investigators at all levels of faculty career development. Recognition in the academic health centres includes promotion, protected time, and financial support. The scholarship of the successful clinical researcher should be appropriately recognized in the academic setting. This includes recognition that the nature of the clinical researcher's research, the sources of the funding, and the journals in which investigators publish may differ substantially from those of fundamental researchers.rnLeadership at all levels within these institutions must define their expectations of junior faculty and support them so that these young men and women can meet and exceed the expectations. Teaching and serving as role models, advisers, and mentors are important in attracting students to careers in clinical investigation. These faculty activities, therefore, must be recognized and rewarded.rnIn addition to well-trained and adequately funded patient-based clinical investigators, the successful execution of patient-based clinical research requires a suitable institutional infrastructure. Similar to newly independent, laboratory-based researchers, recruitment packages for clinical investigators should include protected time for setting up and conducting clinical studies as well as resources such as space, computer equipment, data management, and research support personnel. University-based and research-intensive medical centres should develop mechanisms to achieve the optimal infrastructure to support inpatient-and outpatient-based clinical research.