IMHA Research Archives/Research Projects/Research Protocol

Introduction Research training is needed for all who would like to perform their own research, but also very helpful for those who want to use the scientific literature in the dayly clinical work. Researchers should be familiar with reading scientific articles related to their daily practice. Over time they must aquire skills in 1) epidemiology, 2) evidence based medicine, 3) the use of  electronic tools like Epi-data, Zotero, Epi-info, Excel and Spss 4) reading English articles 5) train to present good power points. Besides they must have a deep interests to solve the health problems by research and have ideas on how to get valid data: 1) a sample of original new data from questionnaires or registers 2) data collected for a planned master's thesis 3) data from of a finished master thesis to be re-analysed and edited for publication as a scientific article or a letter to the Editor. The first steps are to agree in the group on the research objectives, then search and review the scientific literature and draft the study plan the "protocol". Drafting is an iterative process including re-writing the draft several times. This is not only a question of following the formal rules, but more a social process with personal scientific interests, dedications and willingness to give unpaid work hours. The following statements should be considered by the research group at the start of the research project:
 * 1) Use the checklist in the introduction to the research protocol ppt - see below
 * 2) The national and international rules for research protocols are only relevant for large projects and experienced researchers
 * 3) For minor projects, the protocol can be a draft of the final scientific article with the IMRAD structure and the relevant scientific references
 * 4) The ethical guidelines for health research are relevant for all studies
 * 5) Where to publish the results?

Guidelines examples
 * 1) CSS protocolo investigacion
 * 2) Guia-protocolo OPS

Protocol examples


 * 1) Protocolo de investigacion obesidad - large project
 * 2) Protocolo ERCnT-1


 * 1) Protocolo Venezuela - minor project

Introduction for new researchers
 * 1) Planning-of-a-research-project-first-part
 * 2) Epidemiologia ocupacional
 * 3) Epi-investigacion basica Usario: Cahe09 - ask for the code

Journals of relevance for publication of the research
 * 1) Medicina Maritima SEMM
 * 2) Iinternational Maritime Health

Research training is needed for all who would like to perform their own research. In the Epidemiology course, the participants will learn to search the literature, to search and use scientific evidence. This gives an evidence based background for workplace risk assessments (or any other site) and for evidence based prevention measures. The Epi-investigation course goes a step further with the aim that participants will learn to produce new scientific knowledge on a basic level. Data can be collected in their current thesis work on a current or former masters. For a quick start: With the help from the group, the author of a Master Thesis in a "blue book" could revise it according to the IMRAD (scientific) structure with litterature references and publish a scientific article/letter. The results are then available for occupational health teaching, prevention and research. Another type of quick research contribution could be by doing Photo documentation:

Photo documentation
Occupational medicine aims for the prevention among workers of departures from health caused by their working and living conditions. The protection of workers from risks resulting from factors adverse to health need to be studied by epidemiological-, qualitative and other types of research, including documentation with photos. Consider photos related to health and safety at the work places, in the transport etc. in 4 aspects: 1) the health effects, the symptoms and diseases on one side, 2) the exposures exposures on the other side, 3) the combination of risk factors and health and 4) the ships medical chest etc. The photos, preferently contemporary, can then be in the categories and combinations: 1) Descriptions of different types of diseases like skin diseases, etc. 2) Documentation of the health service from the clinics, the hospitals shore, the hospitals, rescue situations with ambulances, etc. and 3) The prevention of the risk factors for health and safety at the workplaces. Often a permission to take and use the photo is needed. Photo documentation could be an important research theme, relatively easy by using the smart phone cameras. Such photos are important for the continued education of the workers, medical doctors, the companies, the occupational health services, the National Authorities', the training centres etc. Photos should be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page with a title and description of date, type and size of the ship, workplace or living room area on the ship, harbour, and the URL for use should be added in these pages. An exposition of the photos will be available here in this Wikiversity free available for teaching, information materials, publications and patient contacts.