Research and the Media
08/10/09, East Hartford

It's difficult to ignore all the stories on the evening news or on the Internet that talk about medical findings. For instance, many times, the news media hones in on a popular subject such as Lyme Disease or Alzheimer's Disease.

Perhaps they say that a "cure" for Alzheimer's may have been found. Of course, that can be said of any research. The potential "cure" was a sentence or a paragraph which was taken out of context. And, the research is not due to be completed for another few years.

Who should you believe and what should you know about research studies??

• If the study involved people, the results are probably more relevant than if the study involved animals or was done in a laboratory.
• If the study involved individuals who were like you, i.e., were the same age, sex, education level, etc., the results may be more relevant than if the group of subjects were unlike you.
• If a hospital or medical school conducts the research they may be better equipped or have more experience with the topic, therefore, the results may be different than if the research involved a few different institutions using one reporting group.
• The results should be presented in a way which is easy to understand.
• The side effects, as well as the results, should be presented.
• If the group or company stands to gain financially from positive results, it might pay to read about the results as reported by another source.

Any type of meaningful progress in medical research can take many years and studies must be duplicated by other groups of researchers before medical professionals accept the findings as accurate.

If you've heard something about a particular research study and you need more information on what's been reported, talk to your doctor so that he/she can help you understand the results.

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