In the science fields time is everything. The time it takes to develop a new drug or make a new discovery can take anywhere from 5 years to 25 years. This is a long time in any respect, and what this means is:
- The costs of drug trials and drug research are in direct proportion with how long the studies take
- There is a huge delay between discoveries that are being made and solutions to the problems
- Solutions are not viable for many years, meaning more uncertainty and suffering as a result
This is a very real problem then, and anything that can be done to speed up the process of conducting scientific research and undertaking clinical trails will result in more people being able to be helped, and reduced costs as a result. Annotated CRFs are a simple way of managing data collected in clinical trails, and they can vastly speed up the data gathering process. This can save time, money, resources and personnel, so they are definitely worth looking into if we want to get more treatments out there.
What Are Annotated CRFs?
Medical research encompasses a wide variety of scientific research, including basic scientific principles which may apply directly to the field of medicine, through to preclinical research; clinical research; and finally, drug development. The term ‘medical research’ encompasses all stages of this process and encompasses research into the safety and effectiveness of drugs before they are taken to treat any particular illness. Whilst research into drug discovery may have specific aims, there is also much research that is considered to be in the field of public health, because it seeks to understand the ways in which our environment may influence the way we live, the way we respond to treatments, and the risks we run when taking drugs. Annotated CRFs are essentially blank slates for gathering medical data, but they are annotated with the correct links and descriptions to make the collection process much faster and easier.
Research Over Time
Basic research into medicine has developed and improved vastly over the past 100 years. Through this research and improvements in the scientific knowledge base, there have been tremendous advances in medicine, and in many ways the advancements we now have can be said to have been made by medical researchers, for they have made the breakthroughs that allow us to cure disease with great success.
However, there is also ongoing research carried out by pharmaceutical companies which seek to develop new ways of delivering drugs, or new ways of treating existing diseases, and the ongoing work that the government carries out also plays a role. With the help of the public and private sectors, there is a very strong effort being made by pharmaceutical companies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of drug development, and also to develop drugs that are safer and more affordable to use.
Reducing Costs
Research into medical treatments has come a long way, thanks to the work of medical scientists, and has been a huge benefit to the general public. In the last 50 years alone the cost of prescription drugs has dropped by more than 40%, and the number of drugs available on the market has significantly reduced, meaning that there are more medicines available to treat more diseases. Medical research has also helped to establish the efficacy of new treatments, to help doctors diagnose and treat patients better, and to give patients more confidence that they will not be negatively affected by any treatment that they receive.
Summary
There is also ongoing medical research being carried out on treatments that may be available in the future but have not yet been proven, which may well save lives. And then of course there is the research that is being carried out into new ways of preventing disease and providing cures, for which there are many exciting prospects. The progress being made in this area has allowed millions of people to enjoy life to the full, and to continue with their lives as they were before. Without this research we could never have made these incredible advances in medicine today.