Medical research studies hit the news every day. Knowing which ones pertain to you and which ones don’t can help you make informed health care decisions.

Savvy health care consumers research their treatment options and medications online and via other reputable sources. Doing so increases their understanding and helps them make informed health care decisions.

That is, as long as they distinguish between studies and research that pertain to them, and that which is irrelevant.

“Understanding how scientific research is conducted and the variables involved can give you a better idea of whether a particular study will provide reliable conclusions, and whether those conclusions relate to you and your condition,” says Bruce B. Dan, M.D., a clinical associate professor at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a former senior editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

For example, if you’re an Hispanic man, you may as well ignore a study of Asian women.

“The most pertinent studies are those conducted on people who are the same sex, have the same ethnic background, are roughly the same age, and have similar health habits as you. Every time a variable is introduced, you can expect different conclusions,” Dan explains.

Here are additional considerations to keep in mind when evaluating medical studies.

Study Guide
“Methods are very important—they’re the key to determining if a study was conducted in a way that will provide scientifically accurate conclusions,” says Dan.

To determine if a study was properly designed, consider these questions:

1. Was it a randomized controlled trial? Randomized means the participants were randomly assigned to receive the drug or treatment being studied.

   Controlled means there was a control or comparison group that didn’t receive the treatment. Often this group receives a placebo—a treatment with no active ingredients.

2. Was the study double blind? Double blind means neither the people in the study nor the researchers know which participants are receiving the treatment and which aren’t.
3. How many participants did the study include? A study of 10 people is unlikely to yield enough data to draw helpful conclusions, while a study of 500 or more people is worth considering.
4. How long did the study last? Very short studies, those spanning only several months, for example, may not be long enough to provide an accurate picture of the risks and benefits of a new medication.
5. Is the conclusion of “clinical” significance? “Just because something is statistically significant doesn’t mean it’s clinically significant,” Dan warns.

   For example, statistically, a drug may lower cholesterol by 40 points. However, if your cholesterol is 300, lowering it to 260 isn’t enough to make a difference—you’ve got to get it below 200 to reduce your risk for heart disease.

Because of the complexity of medical studies, Dan recommends consumers be wary of studies reported on radio or TV news: A 30-second sound bite rarely includes enough of the qualifiers—such as the age or sex of those studied— to be useful.

“It’s a treacherous world out there; medical science and research are in constant motion, and conventional wisdom is often overthrown by new studies,” he warns. “That’s why you shouldn’t change your medications or diet because of a study you’ve seen or heard about without first checking with your doctor.”

Barbara Floria spoke with Bruce B. Dan, M.D., a clinical associate professor at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a former senior editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association. For more information, visit the National Library of Medicine at www.medlineplus.gov and search for “understanding medical research.”

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