Getting a simple questionnaire based study underway is quite a steep learning curve for the independent researcher. An email to the editior of D&HM confirmed what I thought, will need either formal ethical approval or a letter from an ethics committee stating that ethical approval not needed. Had a chat to Gary at DDRC who kindly had a look and forwarded to their local REC, sadly the chairman thought needed to go to formal approval. Registered with the internet based Integrated Research Application Schemes (IRAS). Massive amount of data needed and much more applicable to a double blind cross-over trial of a new wonder drug that a simple questionnaire based study. Still mostly completed then, by good fortune, got in touch with my local REC based in North East UK. Much more hopeful that a letter of exemption could be obtained. So, a long evening of tidying the documentation, a nice letter, some printing and registered post and the document was received in Jarrow awaiting consideration.
Your average GP doesn't come into contact with statisticians very often but I do know that the earlier you get a statistician involved in your project the more likely you are to get a meaningful result. My local statisician is away on maternity leave but will hopefully cast an eye on the proposal and offer advice on sample size and appropriate statistical tests. Meantime, your intrepid investigator is revisiting p values, confidence intervals and Chi Squared tests for the first time in several years! Still, I can add in a revision of statistics and critical appraisal of research to my personal development plan for the coming year.
Best Wishes,
Steve
Click Here to take survey
Survry Up and Running, Please Contribute
Posted
Jan 04 2009, 01:18 PM
by
Dr Steve Johnson