Clinical Innovation and Research Institute (CIRI)
Most of us know what it’s like to take an aspirin for a headache, watch a child learn to read or exercise because it will make our heart stronger. But how do we know what really works?
How do we know that the aspirin will work, or what will help a child learn, or what exercises will help the heart? Research is important because it seeks to answer those questions.
Research can take many forms. Sometimes it may be a survey that tells the researcher what a group of people with disabilities think about the local bus service, so that sensible changes can be made. It may be a comparison of two teaching methods and the differences they produce in the reading scores for children, so that teachers can choose what will work in their classrooms.
It may be the measurement of the heart rates of a group of people before and after they start a specific exercise routine, so that doctors can make good recommendations. All of these are examples of research studies.
And another kind of research study evaluates a drug, device or procedure for the prevention or treatment of a disease or condition. These studies are usually called clinical trials. The drugs, devices, and procedures may be new, or they may already be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In either case, they have been studied in laboratories and tested in animals.
Studies must be reviewed and approved by an institutional review board (IRB) before the researcher can begin. The IRB ensures that the rights and welfare of research subjects are protected. Memorial Hermann has both academic (University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, Baylor College of Medicine) and independent (Western) IRBs. Studies that are done in a Memorial Hermann hospital or facility must also be reviewed and approved by the Memorial Hermann Clinical Innovation & Research Institute.
Research is not the same as treatment. It is the way that we learn new information, develop new ways of providing care, find a way to lessen or prevent a medical problem, and make sure that these innovations are effective and safe.
To contact the Institute, call 713-704-4226 or e-mail us.