A research is a study of a specific issue or scenario by systematically gathering information regarding the issue under investigation and how it influences other aspects of the area of study. Any kind of research starts with a research question as a guide to the researcher in terms of which information to gather. For the students who are preparing to conduct a research, they first need to prudently come up with the best subject of the study and develop a clear research question to ensure that it does not mislead the research process (Brewerton, 2001).
This decision of the subject of study is dictated by the availability of sources of the required information. This means that students would not set out to conduct a research in a field where there is little or no information that can be gathered. Therefore this first step is very essential since it becomes the foundation of the whole research and if a mistake is done at this initial stage the target information or study will not be achieved.
Researches in the drug industry regarding new medicines are conducted every now and then. These researches are conducted in order to evaluate whether the drug is effective in the treatment of the disease that they manufactured to treat as well as evaluating if there are side effects associated with the drug. However, in this process of drug research there are a lot of assumptions that are made in order to ensure standardization of results of the study. Generalizations are some of the major assumptions in the drug industry (Lopes, 2013). This assumption leads to enormous biasness in the research process because the response of people towards a certain drug cannot be generalized otherwise inaccurate results will be achieved.
If a researcher assumes that the side effects of a drug are the same to all people then a conclusive understanding of the side effects will not be possible since the only side effects that will be revealed era those that are portrayed by those subjected to the drug study. Another major aspect that has created great biasness in the drug study is the funding of the research process. A few decades ago such studies were being conducted by independent academic and research institutions funded by the government of a country but this has changed over time.
Nowadays most of the funding is done by the companies that have actually manufactured the drugs therefore the credibility of the findings of such institutions have been greatly compromised. That is if the drug has serious side effects these companies hide that from the public so that their products are more marketable for example, the Vioxx drug that was manufactured to treat arthritis was shown to be very effective while a subsequent study of the drug five years later proved that one of the drug’s side effects was that it was causing heart attacks. This shows that that drug manufacturer’s involvement in the research process causes biasness (Beachy et. al, 2014). The solution to such incidences has been the publication of all the details of such studies as well as the materials that these drug companies use to manufacture drug. This has helped in enhancing transparency of the process.
The assumptions made by patients taking these medicines contribute so much in masking the biasness of the process for example, patients assume that the information given about these medicines is purely ethical and is scientifically proven therefore the thought of questioning the side effects do not come in their mind. Also many consumers of such drugs do not bother to read the information provided making it an easy pass for these companies to manipulate the information.
References
Beachy, S. H., Berger, A. C., Olson, S., Institute of Medicine (U.S.)., & Conflict of Interest and Medical Innovation : Ensuring Integrity While Facilitating Innovation in Medical Research (Workshop). (2014). Conflict of interest and medical innovation: Ensuring integrity while facilitating innovation in medical research : workshop summary.
Brewerton, P., & Millward, L. (2001). Organizational research methods: A guide for students and researchers. London: SAGE.
Lopes, R. D., & Harrington, R. A. (2013). Understanding clinical research. New York: McGraw-Hill.
