Perry W Payne. Jr
Literature reviews are usually the first step in conducting medical research projects.They often lead to the creation of a useful research question. However, this initialstep in medical research contains inefficiencies, which if removed, could speedup the research process and thereby enhance development of innovative healthrelated products. In addition, existing research article databases offer informationwhich is inaccessible to most lay consumers. This article proposes an alternativeapproach for allowing researchers to assess the state of research in a particulararea called “dynamic research summaries.� These summaries would offer a regularlyupdated narrative of existing research in any given area. They could increasethe speed at which researchers of all levels review literature and develop usefulresearch questions. In addition, this article proposes translating this informationinto a consumer friendly form that enhances the ability of non-expert consumersto review existing research relevant to their illness or a loved one’s illness. Thisconsumer friendly version could also be translated into other languages, such asSpanish in the US, to increase accessibility for minority groups that speak otherlanguages more proficiently. Finally, the article discusses the potential of either thepublic or private sector leading efforts to develop dynamic Carisoprodol research summaries forexperts and consumers
