Question

why is research in the Healthcare industry important? explain?

Answer 1

Research in the healthcare industry is important because:

1. Research is required to enhance understanding of new and old diseases. This is very important as it allows us to develop treatment plans.
   1. Example: Tuberculosis an old disease. Initially, monotherapy was given. With research, it was realized that monotherapy leads to drug resistance. Therefore, monotherapy has been abandoned and the rule is to treat the disease with 4 drugs with different mechanisms of action. This has helped to achieve higher cure rates, lower relapse rates, and lower drug-resistant cases.
2. Research is required more to improve our data storage capacity. Data storage is important for customizing patient care. It also helps the government to collect health-related statistics. Government uses these statistics for resource allotment and health care planning.
3. Research helps us to develop preventive measures.
   1. Example: Every year there is an outbreak of influenza. It is always beneficial from the patient's and the healthcare system's point of view to prevent infection with the virus. Therefore, every year a new vaccine is developed. The vaccine is safe and effective. This helps to maintain the health of the patient and also reduces the burden on the health resources of the nation.
4. Research helps us to find simple answers to complex questions
   1. Example: Goitre is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. Research into the disease helps the medical fraternity to understand the importance of iodine in the diet. This lead to the development of iodine fortified salt. As salt is used by everyone, it was easy for people to accept it. This lead to a reduction in the incidence of goiter
5. Healthcare needs to be acceptable to the target population. Therefore, research is required to make the various modalities under healthcare usable for the patients.
   1. Example - For the treatment of asthma, bronchodilators were given parenterally at a point of time. This is very inconvenient for the patient and also for the healthcare worker. Therefore, the metered dose inhalers wer invented. This allows the patient to have treatment for his ailment at his disposal. Later, patients didn't like taking inhalers as it associated with a social taboo. So transdermal patches which are loaded with the medicine have been developed. This allows the patient to use the medicine without making it evident to others. This has markedly increased the patient's compliance to treatment and also reduces the visit to the emergency department.
6. As humans evolve so do diseases. Newer diseases are being introduced to the community we live in (Example - COVID -19). Newer diseases bring with them newer challenges. Research is required to understand these new diseases, the high-risk population, and ultimate to find a cure)