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77 interesting medical research topics for 2024

Last updated

25 November 2023

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

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Medical research is the gateway to improved patient care and expanding our available treatment options. However, finding a relevant and compelling research topic can be challenging.

Use this article as a jumping-off point to select an interesting medical research topic for your next paper or clinical study.

  • How to choose a medical research topic

When choosing a research topic , it’s essential to consider a couple of things. What topics interest you? What unanswered questions do you want to address? 

During the decision-making and brainstorming process, here are a few helpful tips to help you pick the right medical research topic:

Focus on a particular field of study

The best medical research is specific to a particular area. Generalized studies are often too broad to produce meaningful results, so we advise picking a specific niche early in the process. 

Maybe a certain topic interests you, or your industry knowledge reveals areas of need.

Look into commonly researched topics

Once you’ve chosen your research field, do some preliminary research. What have other academics done in their papers and projects? 

From this list, you can focus on specific topics that interest you without accidentally creating a copycat project. This groundwork will also help you uncover any literature gaps—those may be beneficial areas for research.

Get curious and ask questions

Now you can get curious. Ask questions that start with why, how, or what. These questions are the starting point of your project design and will act as your guiding light throughout the process. 

For example: 

What impact does pollution have on children’s lung function in inner-city neighborhoods? 

Why is pollution-based asthma on the rise? 

How can we address pollution-induced asthma in young children? 

  • 77 medical research topics worth exploring in 2023

Need some research inspiration for your upcoming paper or clinical study? We’ve compiled a list of 77 topical and in-demand medical research ideas. Let’s take a look. 

  • Exciting new medical research topics

If you want to study cutting-edge topics, here are some exciting options:

COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms

Since 2020, COVID-19 has been a hot-button topic in medicine, along with the long-term symptoms in those with a history of COVID-19. 

Examples of COVID-19-related research topics worth exploring include:

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiac and respiratory health

COVID-19 vaccination rates

The evolution of COVID-19 symptoms over time

New variants and strains of the COVID-19 virus

Changes in social behavior and public health regulations amid COVID-19

Vaccinations

Finding ways to cure or reduce the disease burden of chronic infectious diseases is a crucial research area. Vaccination is a powerful option and a great topic to research. 

Examples of vaccination-related research topics include:

mRNA vaccines for viral infections

Biomaterial vaccination capabilities

Vaccination rates based on location, ethnicity, or age

Public opinion about vaccination safety 

Artificial tissues fabrication

With the need for donor organs increasing, finding ways to fabricate artificial bioactive tissues (and possibly organs) is a popular research area. 

Examples of artificial tissue-related research topics you can study include:

The viability of artificially printed tissues

Tissue substrate and building block material studies

The ethics and efficacy of artificial tissue creation

  • Medical research topics for medical students

For many medical students, research is a big driver for entering healthcare. If you’re a medical student looking for a research topic, here are some great ideas to work from:

Sleep disorders

Poor sleep quality is a growing problem, and it can significantly impact a person’s overall health. 

Examples of sleep disorder-related research topics include:

How stress affects sleep quality

The prevalence and impact of insomnia on patients with mental health conditions

Possible triggers for sleep disorder development

The impact of poor sleep quality on psychological and physical health

How melatonin supplements impact sleep quality

Alzheimer’s and dementia 

Cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise worldwide. They currently have no cure. As a result, research about these topics is in high demand. 

Examples of dementia-related research topics you could explore include:

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a chosen population

Early onset symptoms of dementia

Possible triggers or causes of cognitive decline with age

Treatment options for dementia-like conditions

The mental and physical burden of caregiving for patients with dementia

  • Lifestyle habits and public health

Modern lifestyles have profoundly impacted the average person’s daily habits, and plenty of interesting topics explore its effects. 

Examples of lifestyle and public health-related research topics include:

The nutritional intake of college students

The impact of chronic work stress on overall health

The rise of upper back and neck pain from laptop use

Prevalence and cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

  • Controversial medical research paper topics

Medical research is a hotbed of controversial topics, content, and areas of study. 

If you want to explore a more niche (and attention-grabbing) concept, here are some controversial medical research topics worth looking into:

The benefits and risks of medical cannabis

Depending on where you live, the legalization and use of cannabis for medical conditions is controversial for the general public and healthcare providers.

Examples of medical cannabis-related research topics that might grab your attention include:

The legalization process of medical cannabis

The impact of cannabis use on developmental milestones in youth users

Cannabis and mental health diagnoses

CBD’s impact on chronic pain

Prevalence of cannabis use in young people

The impact of maternal cannabis use on fetal development 

Understanding how THC impacts cognitive function

Human genetics

The Human Genome Project identified, mapped, and sequenced all human DNA genes. Its completion in 2003 opened up a world of exciting and controversial studies in human genetics.

Examples of human genetics-related research topics worth delving into include:

Medical genetics and the incidence of genetic-based health disorders

Behavioral genetics differences between identical twins

Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders

Machine learning technologies for genetic research

Sexual health studies

Human sexuality and sexual health are important (yet often stigmatized) medical topics that need new research and analysis.

As a diverse field ranging from sexual orientation studies to sexual pathophysiology, examples of sexual health-related research topics include:

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections within a chosen population

Mental health conditions within the LGBTQIA+ community

The impact of untreated sexually transmitted infections

Access to safe sex resources (condoms, dental dams, etc.) in rural areas

  • Health and wellness research topics

Human wellness and health are trendy topics in modern medicine as more people are interested in finding natural ways to live healthier lifestyles. 

If this field of study interests you, here are some big topics in the wellness space:

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten allergies and intolerances have risen over the past few decades. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, your options range in severity from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to full-blown anaphylaxis. 

Some examples of gluten sensitivity-related research topics include:

The pathophysiology and incidence of Celiac disease

Early onset symptoms of gluten intolerance

The prevalence of gluten allergies within a set population

Gluten allergies and the incidence of other gastrointestinal health conditions

Pollution and lung health

Living in large urban cities means regular exposure to high levels of pollutants. 

As more people become interested in protecting their lung health, examples of impactful lung health and pollution-related research topics include:

The extent of pollution in densely packed urban areas

The prevalence of pollution-based asthma in a set population

Lung capacity and function in young people

The benefits and risks of steroid therapy for asthma

Pollution risks based on geographical location

Plant-based diets

Plant-based diets like vegan and paleo diets are emerging trends in healthcare due to their limited supporting research. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits or risks of holistic, diet-based medicine, examples of plant-based diet research topics to explore include:

Vegan and plant-based diets as part of disease management

Potential risks and benefits of specific plant-based diets

Plant-based diets and their impact on body mass index

The effect of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease management

Health supplements

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Many health-conscious people take supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, and more. 

Examples of health supplement-related research topics worth investigating include:

Omega-3 fish oil safety and efficacy for cardiac patients

The benefits and risks of regular vitamin D supplementation

Health supplementation regulation and product quality

The impact of social influencer marketing on consumer supplement practices

Analyzing added ingredients in protein powders

  • Healthcare research topics

Working within the healthcare industry means you have insider knowledge and opportunity. Maybe you’d like to research the overall system, administration, and inherent biases that disrupt access to quality care. 

While these topics are essential to explore, it is important to note that these studies usually require approval and oversight from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensures the study is ethical and does not harm any subjects. 

For this reason, the IRB sets protocols that require additional planning, so consider this when mapping out your study’s timeline. 

Here are some examples of trending healthcare research areas worth pursuing:

The pros and cons of electronic health records

The rise of electronic healthcare charting and records has forever changed how medical professionals and patients interact with their health data. 

Examples of electronic health record-related research topics include:

The number of medication errors reported during a software switch

Nurse sentiment analysis of electronic charting practices

Ethical and legal studies into encrypting and storing personal health data

Inequities within healthcare access

Many barriers inhibit people from accessing the quality medical care they need. These issues result in health disparities and injustices. 

Examples of research topics about health inequities include:

The impact of social determinants of health in a set population

Early and late-stage cancer stage diagnosis in urban vs. rural populations

Affordability of life-saving medications

Health insurance limitations and their impact on overall health

Diagnostic and treatment rates across ethnicities

People who belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to experience barriers and restrictions when trying to receive quality medical care. This is due to systemic healthcare racism and bias. 

As a result, diagnostic and treatment rates in minority populations are a hot-button field of research. Examples of ethnicity-based research topics include:

Cancer biopsy rates in BIPOC women

The prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous communities

Access inequalities in women’s health preventative screenings

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in Black populations

  • Pharmaceutical research topics

Large pharmaceutical companies are incredibly interested in investing in research to learn more about potential cures and treatments for diseases. 

If you’re interested in building a career in pharmaceutical research, here are a few examples of in-demand research topics:

Cancer treatment options

Clinical research is in high demand as pharmaceutical companies explore novel cancer treatment options outside of chemotherapy and radiation. 

Examples of cancer treatment-related research topics include:

Stem cell therapy for cancer

Oncogenic gene dysregulation and its impact on disease

Cancer-causing viral agents and their risks

Treatment efficacy based on early vs. late-stage cancer diagnosis

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies

Immunotherapy for cancer

Pain medication alternatives

Historically, opioid medications were the primary treatment for short- and long-term pain. But, with the opioid epidemic getting worse, the need for alternative pain medications has never been more urgent. 

Examples of pain medication-related research topics include:

Opioid withdrawal symptoms and risks

Early signs of pain medication misuse

Anti-inflammatory medications for pain control

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Explore the Best Medical and Health Research Topics Ideas

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Table of contents

  • 1 How to Choose Medical Research Paper Topics
  • 2 New Medical Research Paper Topics
  • 3 Medical Research Topics for College Students
  • 4 Controversial Medical Topics for Research Paper
  • 5 Health Research Topics
  • 6 Medicine Research Topics
  • 7 Healthcare Research Topics
  • 8 Public Health Research Topics
  • 9 Mental Health Research Paper Topics
  • 10 Anatomy Research Topics
  • 11 Biomedical Research Topics
  • 12 Bioethics Research Topics
  • 13 Cancer Research Topics
  • 14 Clinical Research Topics
  • 15 Critical Care Research Topics
  • 16 Pediatric Research Topics
  • 17 Dental Research Topics Ideas
  • 18 Dermatology Research Topics
  • 19 Primary Care Research Topics
  • 20 Pharmaceutical Research Topics
  • 21 Medical Anthropology Research Topics
  • 22 Paramedic Research Paper Topics
  • 23 Surgery Research Topics
  • 24 Radiology Research Paper Topics
  • 25 Anatomy and Physiology Research Paper Topics
  • 26 Healthcare Management Research Paper Topics
  • 27 Medical Ethics Research Paper Topics
  • 28 Environmental Health and Pollution Research Paper Topics
  • 29 Conclusion

Writing an original and compelling research paper is a daunting task in such a complex and broad field as medicine. Each student decides where his interests lie, from investigating public care concerns to cancer treatment studies. We aim to help students find new angles to study and focus on relevant topics. With our resources, you can write an engaging and rigorous paper.

How to Choose Medical Research Paper Topics

Choosing good research paper topics is often more challenging than the writing process itself. You need to select a captivating subject matter that will grab the reader’s attention, showcase your knowledge of a specific field, help you progress in your studies, and perhaps even inspire future research.

To accomplish that, you need to start with brainstorming, followed by thorough research. Here are some great tips to follow:

  • Pick an interesting topic – The key is to pick something that you find interesting, and yet make sure it’s not too general or too narrow. It should allow you to delve deep into the subject matter and show that you’re a professional who is ready to take on a challenge when it comes to your chosen field of medicine.
  • Narrow down your focus – Once you have a list of potential topics, sift through recent medical research papers to get up-to-date with the latest trends, developments, and issues in medicine and healthcare. Check out textbooks, news articles, and other relevant sources for more information related to your potential topics. If a particular condition or disease interests you (perhaps something that drew you to a career in medicine), there’s your cue for narrowing down your topic.
  • Pinpoint the “why,” “how,” and “what” – Whether you are looking into nutrition research paper topics , controversial medical topics, nursing research topics, or anything in-between, ask yourself why each of them is important. How could they contribute to the available medical studies, if any? What new information could they bring to improve the future of medicine? Asking these questions will help you pick the right medical research paper topic that suits you and helps you move forward and reach your aspirations.

To help you on that quest, we’ve compiled a list of topics that you could use or that might inspire you to come up with something unique. Let’s dive in.

New Medical Research Paper Topics

Are you interested in the newest and most interesting developments in medicine? We put hours of effort into identifying the current trends in health research so we could provide you with these examples of topics. Whether you hire a research paper writing service for students or write a paper by yourself, you need an appealing topic to focus on.

  • Epidemics versus pandemics
  • Child health care
  • Medical humanitarian missions in the developing world
  • Effectiveness of mobile health clinics in rural Africa
  • Homeopathic medicines – the placebo effect
  • Comparative study of the efficacy of homeopathic treatments and conventional medicine in managing chronic pain
  • Virus infections – causes and treatment
  • Trends in COVID-19 vaccine uptake
  • Advancements in the treatment of influenza
  • Is medical research on animals ethical
  • Vaccination – dangers versus benefits
  • Artificial tissues and organs
  • Rare genetic diseases
  • Brain injuries
  • Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
  • Social behavior shifts due to COVID-19

Medical Research Topics for College Students

You don’t know where to start with your medical research paper? There are so many things you could write about that the greatest challenge is to narrow them down. This is why we decided to help.

  • Antibiotics treatments
  • Efficacy of mRNA vaccines against viral diseases
  • Viability and function of 3D printed tissues
  • Chronic diseases
  • Palliative treatment
  • Battling Alzheimer’s disease
  • How modern lifestyle affects public health
  • Professional diseases
  • Sleep disorders
  • Changes in physical and mental health due to aging
  • Eating disorders
  • Terminal diseases

Controversial Medical Topics for Research Paper

In healthcare, new discoveries can change people’s lives in the blink of an eye. This is also the reason why there are so many controversial topics in medicine, which involve anything from religion to ethics or social responsibility. Read on to discover our top controversial research topics.

  • Ethical debates on artificial tissue engineering
  • Public opinions on vaccination safety
  • Implementing food standards
  • Telehealth’s Role in Chronic Illness Management
  • Gluten allergy
  • Assisted suicide for terminal patients
  • Testing vaccines on animals – ethical concerns
  • Moral responsibilities regarding cloning
  • Marijuana legalization for medical purposes
  • Abortion – medical approaches
  • Vegan diets – benefits and dangers
  • Increased life expectancy: a burden on the healthcare system?
  • Circumcision effects

Health Research Topics

Students conducting health research struggle with finding good ideas related to their medical interests. If you want to write interesting college papers, you can select a good topic for our list.

  • Impact of location, ethnicity, or age on vaccination rates
  • Uses of biomaterials in vaccination technology
  • Deafness: communication disorders
  • Household air pollution
  • Diabetes – a public danger
  • Coronaviruses
  • Oral health assessment
  • Tobacco and alcohol control
  • Diseases caused by lack of physical exercise
  • How urban pollution affects respiratory diseases
  • Healthy diets

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Medicine Research Topics

Regardless of the requirements in your research assignment, you can write about something that is both engaging and useful in your future career. Choose a topic from below.

  • Causes for the increasing cancer cases
  • Insulin resistance
  • How terrorism affects mental health
  • AIDS/HIV – latest developments
  • Treating pregnant women versus non-pregnant women
  • Latest innovations in medical instruments
  • Genetic engineering
  • Successful treatment of mental diseases
  • Is autism a disease
  • Natural coma versus artificial coma
  • Treatments for sleep disorders and their effectiveness
  • Role of melatonin supplements in sleep quality

Healthcare Research Topics

Healthcare research includes political and social aspects, besides medical. For college students who want to explore how medicine is affected by society’s values or principles, we provide examples of topics for papers. Select yours from the list below.

  • Government investment in healthcare services in the EU versus the USA
  • Inequalities in healthcare assistance and services
  • Electronic health records systems – pros and cons
  • Can asylums treat mental issues
  • Health care for prison inmates
  • Equipment for improving the treatment of AIDS
  • Correlation between economic development and health care services across countries
  • Impact of smoking on organs
  • Heart attacks – causes and effects
  • Breast cancer – recent developments
  • Materials used in artificial tissue and their impacts

Public Health Research Topics

For current examples of public health topics, browse our list. We provide only original, researchable examples for which you can easily find supporting data and evidence.

  • Public versus private hospitals
  • Health Disparities in Diabetes Management Across Different Socioeconomic Groups
  • Health care professionals – management principles
  • Surgery failures – who is responsible
  • What legal responsibilities has the hospital administration
  • Patient service quality in public versus private hospitals
  • What benefits do national health care systems have
  • Estimated costs of cancer treatments
  • Public health in developing countries
  • Banning tobacco ads – importance for public health
  • Government solutions to the anti-vaccine’s movement
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed public health regulations

Mental Health Research Paper Topics

Mental health is one of the most complex areas of medicine, where things are never as clear as with other medical issues. This increases the research potential of the field with plenty of topics left for debate.

  • Mental Health Impact of Social Media on American Teenagers
  • Causes of anxiety disorders
  • Bulimia versus anorexia
  • Childhood trauma
  • Mental health public policies
  • Impact of Lifestyle Factors on the Progression of Dementia in the Elderly Population
  • Postpartum Depression
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Stress and its effects on sleep quality
  • Insomnia and its relation to mental health disorders

Anatomy Research Topics

Anatomy covers everything about the human body and how it works. If you find that intriguing and want to pay for medical research paper, start by selecting a topic.

  • Causes and treatments of virus infections
  • Chemotherapy: how it affects the body
  • Thyroid glands – functions in the body
  • Human endocrine system
  • Preventative Measures and Treatments for Common Liver Diseases
  • Heart diseases
  • How does the human muscular system develop
  • Lymphatic system – importance
  • Investigating genetic diseases
  • Digestive system
  • Role of the Spleen in the Human Immune System and Related Disorders

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Biomedical Research Topics

Biology and medicine often work together. For the newest changes in the biomedical field, check our topics.

  • Comparative Efficacy of Alternative Medicine Practices in Chronic Pain Management
  • Alzheimer’s disease – paths for treatment
  • Vaccines and drug development in the treatment of Ebola
  • Antibiotic resistance
  • Biological effects caused by aging
  • Air pollution effects on health
  • Infectious disease past versus present
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Biomedical diagnostics
  • Biomedical technology
  • Advanced biomaterials for vaccine delivery

Bioethics Research Topics

A controversial area of medicine, bioethics is where you get the chance to add personal input to a research topic and come up with new insights. You could consider these subjects.

  • Organ donation
  • Alternative or complementary medicine
  • Assisted suicide or the right to die
  • Artificial insemination or surrogacy
  • Chemical and biological warfare
  • Contraception
  • Environmental bioethics
  • In Vitro Fertilization
  • Ethical considerations in medical research on animals

Cancer Research Topics

Are you writing a paper related to cancer causes, diagnosis, treatment or effects? Look below for a hot topic that it’s easy to research and important for medical advance.

  • The ability of immune system cells to fight cancer
  • Computational oncology
  • Metastasis affected by drug resistance
  • Stem cells – applications for cancer treatment
  • Tumor microenvironment
  • Obesity and age in cancer occurrence
  • Early cancer detection – benefits
  • Artificial intelligence predicting cancer
  • Hematologic malignancies
  • Pathogen-related cancers
  • Impact of COVID-19 on cancer treatment studies

Clinical Research Topics

Learn more about clinical medicine by conducting more in-depth research. We prepared for you a list of relevant issues to touch upon.

  • Ethical concerns regarding research on human subjects
  • Subject recruitment
  • Budget preparation
  • Human subject protection
  • Clinical trials – financial support
  • Clinical practices for health professionals
  • Using vulnerable populations in clinical research
  • Quality assurance in clinical research
  • Academic clinical trials versus clinical trials units
  • Data collection and management
  • Evolution of clinical symptoms in COVID-19 patients

Critical Care Research Topics

Critical care is a key area in medical studies. Explore these topics in your research paper to gain more valuable knowledge in this field. You can also get in contact with nursing research paper writers .

  • Obesity and asthma – clinical manifestations
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Rhythm analysis for cardiac arrest
  • Traumatic brain injury – fluid resuscitation
  • Hydrocortisone for multiple trauma patients
  • Care and nutrition for critically ill adults
  • Diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis
  • Coma and sedation scales
  • Artificial airways suctioning
  • Arterial puncture and arterial line
  • Long-term cardiac and respiratory effects of COVID-19

Pediatric Research Topics

Any topic that refers to health care for children, pregnant women, mothers, and adolescents goes under pediatric care.

  • Early Intervention Methods for Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Preventive healthcare strategies for children
  • Impact of early childhood nutrition on long-term health
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Congenital heart disease in newborns
  • Adolescent medicine
  • Neonatal medicine
  • Rare diseases in children and teenagers
  • Obesity and weight fluctuations
  • Behavioral sleep problems in children
  • Children with anemia
  • Child healthcare enhancements and innovations

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Dental Research Topics Ideas

Choose a topic on oral health or dental care from this list of the most interesting topics in the field.

  • How smoking affects oral health
  • Children’s risk for dental caries
  • Causes of Dental Anxiety and Effective Interventions for Reducing Fear in Patients
  • Types of dental materials – new advances
  • Bad breath bacteria
  • How diabetes affects oral health
  • Oral cancer
  • Dental pain – types, causes
  • Dental implants
  • Oral health-related quality of life
  • Advancements in treatments for virus infections

Dermatology Research Topics

Find the best research topic for your dermatology paper among our examples.

  • Atopic dermatitis
  • Contact dermatitis
  • Epidemiology behind uncommon skin disorders
  • Cutaneous aging
  • Risk factors of melanoma skin cancer
  • Acne versus rosacea
  • Genetic testing for skin conditions
  • Effects of cosmetic agents on skin health
  • Improving skin barrier with pharmaceutical agents
  • Skin manifestations of autoimmune disorders
  • Study of virus effects on skin health

Primary Care Research Topics

Write a primary care paper that can demonstrate your research skills and interest in powerful scientific findings.

  • Primary care for vulnerable/uninsured populations
  • Interpersonal continuity in care treatment
  • How primary care contributes to health systems
  • Primary care delivery models
  • Developments in family medicine
  • Occupational/environmental health
  • Pharmacotherapy approaches
  • Formal allergy testing
  • Oral contraception side effects
  • Dietary or behavioral interventions for obesity management

Pharmaceutical Research Topics

Pharma students who need paper topics can use one from our list. We include all things related to pharmacy life.

  • Drugs that can treat cancer
  • Drug excretion
  • Elimination rate constant
  • Inflammatory stress drug treatment
  • Aspirin poising
  • Ibuprofen – dangers versus benefits
  • Toxicodynamics
  • Opioid use disorder
  • Pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia
  • Ketamine in depression treatment

Medical Anthropology Research Topics

Medical anthropology unites different areas of human knowledge. Find powerful ideas for a paper below.

  • Cultural contexts regarding reproductive health
  • Women sexuality
  • Anthropological aspects of health care
  • Contributions of social sciences to public health
  • Euthanasia and medical ethics across cultures
  • Health-related behavior in adults across cultures
  • Transcultural nursing
  • Forensic psychiatry
  • Symptoms of Celiac Disease – a disease with no symptoms
  • Nursing ethics

Paramedic Research Paper Topics

Topics for paramedic research must be based on evidence, data, statistics, or practical experience. Just like ours.

  • Trends and statistics in EMS
  • Disaster medicine
  • Mass casualties
  • Pandemics and epidemics
  • Infection control
  • Basic versus advanced life support
  • Scene safety in EMS
  • Shock management
  • Motor vehicle accidents
  • Challenges in medical humanitarian missions during pandemics

Surgery Research Topics

Discover all the intricacies of surgeries that save lives by writing about our topics.

  • Medical malpractice and legal issues
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
  • Early Detection and Management Strategies for Sepsis in Hospital Settings
  • Pain management
  • Perioperative nursing
  • Wound management
  • Colorectal cancer surgery
  • Breast cancer surgery
  • Minimally invasive surgeries
  • Vascular disease
  • Changes in surgical practices during pandemics

Radiology Research Paper Topics

Find a radiology topic related to your academic interests to write a successful paper.

  • Using MRI to diagnose hepatic focal lesions
  • Multidetector computer tomography
  • Ultrasound elastography in breast cancer
  • Assessing traumatic spinal cord injuries with MRI diffusion tensor imaging
  • Sonographic imaging to detect male infertility
  • Role of tomography in diagnosing cancer
  • Brain tumor surgery with magnetic resonance imaging
  • Bacterial meningitis imaging
  • Advanced imaging techniques for virus infection detection

Anatomy and Physiology Research Paper Topics

Any ideas for a medical research paper? We have included the most important topics for an anatomy and physiology paper.

  • What role has the endocrine system
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Environmental factors that affect development of human muscular system
  • What role has the lymphatic system
  • An investigation of genetic diseases
  • Explaining the aging process
  • The digestive tract
  • Effects of stress on cells and muscles
  • Evolution of the human nervous system
  • What role has the cardiovascular system
  • Impact of viruses on respiratory health in urban settings

Healthcare Management Research Paper Topics

There are numerous topics you could write about when it comes to healthcare management. There’s a wide range of options to pick, from infrastructure, staff, and financial management to HR and patient management. Here are some of the top healthcare management research paper options.

Medical Ethics Research Paper Topics

Medical ethics is a field that opens the door to numerous compelling topics for research papers. Here are some of the most appealing ones you could tackle.

  • Clinical research on humans
  • Vaccines and immunization
  • Religious beliefs in healthcare
  • Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
  • Ethical issues across cultures
  • Amniocentesis or prenatal birth defect testing
  • Medical malpractice and going back to work
  • Racial and ethnic preferences and perceptions in organ donations
  • Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare
  • Ethical concerns of AI in healthcare
  • Debates on animal ethics in medical research
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Environmental Health and Pollution Research Paper Topics

  • Environmental Pollutants and Respiratory Health in Urban Areas of the USA
  • How environmental changes affect human health
  • Long-Term Impact of PM2.5 Exposure on Lung, Heart, and Brain Function
  • Health Risks of Air Pollution Across Different Life Stages
  • Hospital Admissions and Air Quality in the USA
  • Risk Reduction Strategies for Indoor Air Pollution from Gas Stoves
  • Impact of Air Pollution on Cognitive Development and Socioeconomic Achievements
  • Long-Term Health Effects of Early Childhood Exposure to Air Pollution
  • Impact of Traffic Noise on Cardiovascular Health

Selecting the right medical research topic is essential, but the writing process can be equally challenging. If you’re seeking expert help, professional research paper writing services can assist in crafting a well-researched and meticulously written paper.

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science research topics medicine

science research topics medicine

Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

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F inding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

  • Allopathic medicine
  • Alternative /complementary medicine
  • Veterinary medicine
  • Physical therapy/ rehab
  • Optometry and ophthalmology
  • Pharmacy and pharmacology
  • Public health
  • Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

  • The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
  • The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
  • The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
  • The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
  • The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
  • The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
  • The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
  • The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
  • The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
  • The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
  • The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
  • The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
  • The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
  • The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
  • The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Research topic idea mega list

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

  • The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
  • The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
  • The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
  • The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
  • The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
  • The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
  • The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
  • The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
  • The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
  • The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
  • The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
  • The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
  • The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
  • The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
  • The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Research topic evaluator

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

  • The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
  • The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
  • The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
  • The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
  • The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
  • The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
  • The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
  • The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
  • The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
  • The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
  • The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
  • The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
  • The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
  • The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
  • The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Topics & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

  • The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
  • The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
  • The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
  • The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
  • The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
  • The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
  • The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
  • The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
  • The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
  • The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
  • The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
  • The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
  • The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
  • The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

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Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

  • The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
  • The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
  • The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
  • A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
  • The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
  • The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
  • The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
  • The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
  • The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
  • The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
  • The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
  • The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
  • The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
  • The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

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Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

  • The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
  • The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
  • The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
  • The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
  • The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
  • The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
  • The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
  • The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
  • The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
  • The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
  • The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
  • The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
  • The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
  • The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
  • The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

  • The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
  • The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
  • The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
  • The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
  • The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
  • The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
  • The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
  • The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
  • The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
  • The use of technology in medication management in the USA
  • The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
  • Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
  • The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
  • The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
  • The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

  • The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
  • The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
  • The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
  • The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
  • The effects of heat waves on public health
  • The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
  • The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
  • The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
  • The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
  • The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
  • The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
  • The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
  • The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
  • The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
  • The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
  • On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
  • Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
  • Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
  • Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
  • When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
  • Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
  • Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
  • Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
  • Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
  • The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
  • Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
  • Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

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18 Comments

Mabel Allison

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Theophilus Ugochuku

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

sneha ramu

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Julia

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

Help on problem statement on teen pregnancy

Derek Jansen

This post might be useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-problem-statement/

JACQUELINE CAGURANGAN RUMA

can you give me research titles that i can conduct as a school nurse

vera akinyi akinyi vera

can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Didjatou tao

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Gurtej singh Dhillon

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

Chikalamba Muzyamba

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Evans Amihere

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Patrick

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Biyama Chama Reuben

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

dominic muema

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

Precious

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

Isaac D Olorunisola

I have been racking my brain for a while on what topic will be suitable for my PhD in health informatics. I want a qualitative topic as this is my strong area.

LEBOGANG

Hi, may I please be assisted with research topics in the medical laboratory sciences

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Nih research matters.

December 22, 2020

2020 Research Highlights — Promising Medical Findings

Results with potential for enhancing human health.

With NIH support, scientists across the United States and around the world conduct wide-ranging research to discover ways to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. Groundbreaking NIH-funded research often receives top scientific honors. In 2020, these honors included one of NIH’s own scientists and another NIH-supported scientist who received Nobel Prizes . Here’s just a small sample of the NIH-supported research accomplishments in 2020.

Full 2020 NIH Research Highlights List

20200929-covid.jpg

Miniproteins binding coronavirus spikes

New approaches to COVID-19

As the global pandemic unfolded, researchers worked at unprecedented speed to develop new treatments and vaccines. Scientists  studied antibodies from the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 and identified potent, diverse ones that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 . Some antibody treatments have now been given emergency use authorization by the FDA, with many others in development . However, such antibodies—called monoclonal antibodies—are difficult to produce and must be given intravenously. NIH-researchers have been pursuing other approaches, including using antibodies from llamas , which are only about a quarter of the size of a typical human antibody and could be delivered directly to the lungs using an inhaler. Computer-designed “miniproteins” and other antiviral compounds are also under investigation.

20200622-mosquito.jpg

Anopheles gambiae mosquito on human skin

Universal mosquito vaccine tested

Most mosquito bites are harmless. But some mosquitoes carry pathogens, like bacteria and viruses, that can be deadly. A small trial showed that a vaccine against mosquito saliva—designed to provide broad protection against mosquito-borne diseases—is safe and causes a strong immune response in healthy volunteers. More studies are needed to test its effectiveness against specific diseases.

20201006-knee-stock.jpg

Health professional examining senior man’s knee.

Machine learning detects early signs of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It results when cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones, breaks down. People with osteoarthritis can have joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Some develop serious pain and disability from the disease. Using artificial intelligence and MRI scans, scientists identified signs of osteoarthritis three years before diagnosis. The results suggest a way to identify people who may benefit from early interventions.

20201103-eye.jpg

Illustration of eye and DNA

Advances in restoring vision

Several common eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, damage the retina, the light-sensitive tissue in the eye. They can eventually lead to vision loss. Two studies looked at ways to restore vision in mouse models. Researchers reprogrammed skin cells into light-sensing eye cells that restored sight in mice. The technique may lead to new approaches for modeling and treating eye diseases. Other scientists restored vision in blind mice by using gene therapy to add a novel light-sensing protein to cells in the retina. The therapy will soon be tested in people.

20200107-aging.jpg

Portrait of grandmother, mother, and daughter

Blood protein signatures change across lifespan

The bloodstream touches all the tissues of the body. Because of the constant flow of proteins through the body, some blood tests measure specific proteins to help diagnose diseases. Researchers determined that the levels of nearly 400 proteins in the blood can be used to determine people’s age and relative health. More research is needed to understand if these protein signatures could help identify people at greater risk of age-related diseases.

20201027-hiv-thumb.jpg

Electron micrographs and illustration showing reverse transcription by the HIV capsid

Understanding HIV’s molecular mechanisms

More than a million people nationwide are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV attacks the immune system by destroying immune cells vital for fighting infection. Researchers uncovered key steps in HIV replication by reconstituting and watching events unfold outside the cell. The system may be useful for future studies of these early stages in the HIV life cycle. In other work, experimental treatments in animal models of HIV led to the viruses emerging from their hiding places inside certain cells—a first step needed to make HIV vulnerable to the immune system.

20200225-parkinsons.jpg

Alpha-synuclein fibrils from people with PD and MSA show different levels of twisting.

Test distinguishes Parkinson’s disease from related condition

A protein called alpha-synuclein plays a major role in Parkinson’s disease as well as other brain disorders. Early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and another disease involving alpha-synuclein, multiple system atrophy, can be similar. Researchers created a test using cerebrospinal fluid that can distinguish between these two diseases with 95% accuracy. The results have implications for the early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions and may help in the development of new targeted therapies.

20200114-cream.jpg

Shop assistant helping customer choose cosmetics

Understanding allergic reactions to skin care products

Personal care products like makeup, skin cream, and fragrances commonly cause rashes called allergic contact dermatitis. It’s not well understood how chemical compounds in personal care products trigger such allergic reactions. Scientists gained new insight into how personal care products may cause immune responses that lead to allergic responses in some people. Understanding how compounds in these products trigger immune reactions could lead to new ways to prevent or treat allergic contact dermatitis.

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Research Topics

Three research topics exploring dementia diagnosis and treatment.

science research topics medicine

Dementia is currently one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older people, with over 55 million individuals worldwide living with dementia , as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Contrary to popular belief, dementia is not a normal part of aging. This year's World Alzheimer's Month challenges this misconception, emphasizing that while age is the most substantial known risk factor, up to 40% of dementia cases can be prevented or delayed.

Dementia is a broad term that describes several brain diseases affecting memory, other cognitive abilities, and behavior, significantly interfering with a person's ability to carry out daily activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent form, contributing to 60–70% of dementia cases.

While dementia remains a complex challenge, scientists are making significant progress in understanding and treating it. With this in mind, we've selected three Research Topics that explore recent breakthroughs in diagnosis.

All articles are openly available to view and download.

1 | Translational Advances in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other Dementia: Molecular Mechanisms, Biomarkers, Diagnosis, and Therapies, Volume III

162.100 views | 42 articles

This Research Topic brings a multidisciplinary perspective and updated insight into the most recent advances in dementia. It covers genetics, biomarkers -molecular and imaging-, computer-aided diagnosis, and therapies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common devastating dementia and neurodegenerative disease in older adults. The importance of diagnosing AD in its early stage is paramount to the aging population as the pathology is irreversible. However, the detection of AD and other dementias in the early phase remains a challenge in the current standard of care.

This Research Topic is part of a series on translational advances in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative dementias: Volume I and Volume II

View Research Topic

2 | Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease, and Related Dementias Captured by Neurophysiological Tools

45.000 views | 14 articles

The scientists leading this Research Topic provide a more accurate picture of brain integrity in older adults. They also highlight biomarker studies that provide opportunities for early detection of cognitive impairments in the predementia window, i.e., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage.

The goal is to gather scientific contributions on non-invasive methodologies to significantly improve the detection of early cognitive impairment and the ability to characterize individuals along the AD trajectory.

3 | Impacts of Public-Private Collaborative Research on Alzheimer's Disease: The Case of the Innovative Medicines Initiative

36.900 views | 12 articles

This research topic advances new knowledge and resources for the dementia research community and the patients to foster new approaches for translating research outputs into valuable outcomes for people with dementia.

AD burdens every aspect of a person’s life and has a significant socio-economic impact. There is no cure for such a condition, and available treatments only address (partially) some symptoms but do not slow disease progression. Additionally, only a fraction of people with dementia get a timely diagnosis, and many more are at risk.

To tackle these challenges, fostering an all-around approach that delivers solutions from the lab to the clinic is fundamental.

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Ten Topics to Get Started in Medical Informatics Research

Markus wolfien.

1 Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

2 Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, Dresden, Germany

Najia Ahmadi

3 Core Unit Data Integration Center, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

Sophia Grummt

Kilian-ludwig heine, dagmar krefting.

4 Department of Medical Informatics, University Medical Center, Goettingen, Germany

Andreas Kühn

Ines reinecke, julia scheel.

5 Department of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

Tobias Schmidt

6 Institute for Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

Paul Schmücker

Christina schüttler.

7 Central Biobank Erlangen, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

Dagmar Waltemath

8 Department of Medical Informatics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

Michele Zoch

Martin sedlmayr.

The vast and heterogeneous data being constantly generated in clinics can provide great wealth for patients and research alike. The quickly evolving field of medical informatics research has contributed numerous concepts, algorithms, and standards to facilitate this development. However, these difficult relationships, complex terminologies, and multiple implementations can present obstacles for people who want to get active in the field. With a particular focus on medical informatics research conducted in Germany, we present in our Viewpoint a set of 10 important topics to improve the overall interdisciplinary communication between different stakeholders (eg, physicians, computational experts, experimentalists, students, patient representatives). This may lower the barriers to entry and offer a starting point for collaborations at different levels. The suggested topics are briefly introduced, then general best practice guidance is given, and further resources for in-depth reading or hands-on tutorials are recommended. In addition, the topics are set to cover current aspects and open research gaps of the medical informatics domain, including data regulations and concepts; data harmonization and processing; and data evaluation, visualization, and dissemination. In addition, we give an example on how these topics can be integrated in a medical informatics curriculum for higher education. By recognizing these topics, readers will be able to (1) set clinical and research data into the context of medical informatics, understanding what is possible to achieve with data or how data should be handled in terms of data privacy and storage; (2) distinguish current interoperability standards and obtain first insights into the processes leading to effective data transfer and analysis; and (3) value the use of newly developed technical approaches to utilize the full potential of clinical data.

Introduction

Digital health care information, as opposed to analog information, empowers clinicians, researchers, and patients with a wealth of information aiming to improve diagnosis, therapy outcome, and clinical care in general. According to Wyatt and Liu [ 1 ], medical informatics is the study and application of methods to improve the management of patient data, clinical knowledge, population data, and other information relevant to patient care and community health. Medical informatics can be seen as the subset of health informatics that is focused on clinical care, while the latter encompasses a wider range of applications. However, knowing, integrating, and using current computational technologies bears numerous pitfalls, limitations, and questions [ 2 ]. To shed light on current standards, applications, and underlying technologies, we present 10 topics to get started in the field of medical informatics research. Our key objective here was to improve interdisciplinary communication among stakeholders (eg, clinicians, experimental researchers, computer scientists, students, patient representatives), thereby bringing everyone on the same page of state-of-the-art medical informatics practices. In particular, improved interdisciplinary communication is essential in real-world problems and can be motivated by the following aspects:

  • Advancing open research: Open collaboration between parties from different disciplines can lead to new research questions, innovative approaches, and novel discoveries [ 3 ].
  • Bridging knowledge domains: Interdisciplinary communication can stimulate novel solutions, allowing researchers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a specific problem or phenomenon [ 4 ], or can improve clinical decision-making [ 5 ].
  • Addressing complex problems: Complex problems, such as the latest disease outbreak, require input from multiple domains to be comprehensively understood. Here, interdisciplinary communication is one key aspect to pinpoint the root causes and develop effective solutions [ 6 ].
  • Promoting scientific inclusivity and diversity: Interdisciplinary communication was recently shown to foster diversity and inclusivity in science, by bringing together researchers from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives [ 7 , 8 ].

Here, we describe in detail how the initial topics have been selected from the literature and what design principles and structure each topic follows. A brief outline of the utilized methods for topic dissemination and an exemplary embedding into an educational training program are also presented.

Topic Selection

The initial topics were defined based on current developments in the health informatics field and an increasing number of published manuscripts between 2000 and 2021 (based on title-abstract-keyword screening in Scopus using the keywords “Health” AND “Informatics” AND “domain”) in the respective subdomains ( Figure 1 A). After a first definition of the specific topics, these were critically revised by internal and external domain experts, as well as scientists previously not familiar with medical informatics research.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jmir_v25i1e45948_fig1.jpg

Schematic summary and representation of the presented topics: (A) brief literature screening (title-abstract-keywords) for published manuscripts between 2000 and 2021, and the y-axis gap provides improved visibility of the less-occurring keywords; (B) most common topic terminologies, keywords (color-coded sections), and potential connections (grey) among topics in the medical informatics research domain. CDSS: clinical decision support system; CIS: clinical information system; EHR: electronic health record; ETL: extract, transform, and load; FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable; FHIR: Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources; GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation; i2b2: Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside; OMOP: Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership.

Topic Design

The initial number of important topics and keywords exceeded the anticipated number of 10 topics, which found inspiration from the “Ten Simple Rules” collection in PLOS Computational Biology [ 9 ]. This is why the authors merged the most matching terms topic wise into groups. These groups finally produced topics that represent the broad range of the medical informatics domain in 3 main concepts, namely “Regulations and concepts,” “Harmonization and processing,” and “Evaluation, visualization, and dissemination” ( Figure 1 B). Figure 1 B also shows the initial keywords for each individual topic, as well as potential cross references between topics, which are highlighted in grey. The following sections provide important “do's and don'ts,” practical hints, and best practice guidelines. Further in-depth resources and practical tutorials will provide basic introductions to the referred domains. Kohane et al [ 10 ] already showed the importance of such clarifying introductions. This work extends the initial study and, in addition, provides detailed examples from the German national Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) [ 11 ].

All topics were divided into 3 parts to improve comprehension by the readers:

  • Introduction: Background definitions for the specific context that motivated the topic
  • Insight: Practical context to get started, including how to avoid pitfalls, state current limitations, and address current challenges
  • Impact: Take home message and useful resources and best practices to deepen knowledge about the topic

Topic Utilization, Extension, and Embedding

Since it is of the utmost importance to keep the content current and as versatile as possible, we initiated an online resource at GitHub, in which contributions are highly emphasized [ 12 ]. Here, keywords and the corresponding literature are collected to allow for swift extension of the currently presented literature body in this article. In addition, the introduction of novel important topics that are not covered in this article might be included. To additionally demonstrate the practicability and adaptability of our proposed topic content, we exemplarily present how these can be embedded in higher education training and share external, introductory hands-on material ( Table 1 ).

Summary of tutorials and hands-on material about medical informatics standards and applications.

Topic numberNameDescriptionLink
2SNOMED CT This 5-step briefing presents a high-level overview of SNOMED CT, how it works, and the benefits of use.[ ]
4DataSHIELDThis tutorial introduces users to DataSHIELD commands and syntax in R/R Studio.[ ]
5ETL This provides introductory material to get from the native/raw data to the OMOP CDM one needs to create an ETL process.[ ]
6FHIR trainingThis contains a series of FHIR tutorials for those just beginning to learn the new specification.[ ]
6SMART App GalleryThe SMART platform is composed of open-standard, open-source tools for developers building apps, and a publicly accessible gallery.[ ]
7EHDEN AcademyThis contains a series of tutorials for OMOP CDM and additional OHDSI tools (eg, PLP [ ]).[ ]
8Synthetic data generationThis is a hands-on tutorial from the ODI [ ] showing how to use Python to create synthetic data[ ]
10R Studio educationThis provides an introduction to basic R programming.[ ]
10Python DashThis tutorial helps develop data visualization interfaces.[ ]

a SNOMED CT: Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine and Clinical Terms.

b ETL: extract, transform, and load.

c OMOP: Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership.

d CDM: common data model.

e FHIR: Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.

f OHDSI: Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics.

g PLP: patient-level prediction.

h ODI: Open Data Institute.

Regulations and Concepts

Topic 1: privacy and ethics—“data privacy and ethics are the most important assets in the clinical domain.”.

Health information is sensitive and hence needs to be highly protected and should not be generously shared. Sharing regulations and data privacy matters are defined in the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) [ 13 ]. The implementation of the GDPR is an ongoing process as the quickly evolving technology, data, and scientific practices demand continuous improvement, which include periodic adaptations of the technical and legal aspects [ 14 , 15 ]. In terms of ethics and with the rise of novel technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), the possible re-identification of data, such as images and genomic information, is a major concern [ 16 , 17 ].

Anonymization is one important way to keep data private. It can also be achieved for high-dimensional data by changing patient-specific identifiers through removal, substitution, distortion, generalization, or aggregation [ 18 ]. In contrast, data pseudonymization is another de-identification procedure by which personally identifiable information fields within a data record are replaced by one or more artificial identifiers or pseudonyms [ 19 ]. To overcome the paucity of annotated medical data in real-world settings and (fully) save the patients’ anonymity, synthetic data generation is used to increase the diversity in data sets and to enhance the robustness and adaptability of AI models [ 20 ]. To conform with ethical regulations in a research context, medical data are only available in a highly controlled manner and according to strict procedures. New concepts, such as “systemic oversight” [ 21 ] or “embedded ethics” [ 22 ], might be needed to tackle the new data-driven developments around “medical big data” and AI in health care. To engage with the adoption of broad consent, systemic oversight was suggested as an approach, in which mechanisms like auditing mechanisms, expert advice, and public engagement initiatives (among others) should be adapted as additional layers to the newly arising ecosystem of health data [ 21 ]. Recently, embedded ethics was jointly suggested by ethicists and developers to address ethical issues via an iterative and continuous process from the outset of development, which could be an effective means of integrating robust ethical considerations into practical development [ 22 ]. A digital representation of information encoded in signed consent forms is needed to facilitate common data use and sharing, as already implemented in an MII informed consent template [ 23 ].

As a researcher in medical informatics, it is inevitable to be informed and knowledgeable about the fact that patients own their medical records and any use of those data requires great care. In Germany, health care providers can only use the data for first medical use. Secondary use, like research, needs to be approved by either broad or individual consent, which can be made available via the electronic health record (EHR). In addition to digitization efforts, it is still a considerable hurdle to convince patients to make their data available for medical research because personal skepticism commonly makes the entire data acquisition process more difficult [ 24 ]. Here, well-received external communication, transparency, and increased awareness are necessary for substantial improvements. In general, it is a balance between privacy, patient needs, and the use of data for the common good versus economic interests [ 25 ]. In particular, one should be aware of the specific legal regulations that apply within the country and additionally get in touch with the relevant data protection departments. Following this, a plan for infrastructure that meets these regulations and that contains, for example, a trustee for the electronic recording of patient consent and anonymization or direct pseudonymization processes to collect the data needs to be developed. Risk assessments for potential data leakage, approvals by ethics committee, as well as consultation with a data protection officer are essential considerations to further assure data security.

Topic 2: EHR and Clinical Information Systems—“Get to Know Your Clinical Information System to Understand the Required Data.”

Hospitals run clinical information systems (CIS) to collect, store, and alter clinical data about patients. A CIS, independent of the specialization and specific vendor, covers many clinical subdomains and integrates patient-related data to support doctors in their daily routine. Without a doubt, medical data are only useful if meaningful information can be derived from them. This requires high-quality data sets, seamless communication across IT systems, and standard data formats that can be processed by humans and machines [ 2 ]. Typical challenges in clinical IT implementations, especially for patient recruitment systems, were recently evaluated by Fitzer et al [ 26 ] for 10 German university hospitals, including requirements for data, infrastructure, and workflow integration. The implementation of an EHR, including an individual's medical data in a bundled form, into the CIS is a key aspect to prevent low reliability and poor user-friendliness of EHRs, which has recently been shown to affect time pressure among medical staff [ 27 ]. For example, in Scandinavia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the Open Notes initiative [ 28 ] facilitates patients’ access to EHRs and health data sharing via “PatientsKnowBest ” to give health care professionals and families direct access to medical information [ 29 ].

An EHR is used primarily for the purposes of setting objectives and planning patient care, documenting the delivery of care, and assessing the outcomes of care [ 30 ]. EHRs have so far consisted of unstructured, narrative text as well as structured, coded data. Thus, it will be necessary to implement more systematic terminologies and codes so that the data contained in these records can be reused in clinical research, health care management, health services planning, and government reporting in an improved manner [ 31 , 32 ]. Since the domain of medical informatics is rather new, there are many possibilities for software solutions to improve EHR-related issues [ 33 ]. Exemplary for the EHR domain, the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine and Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) is utilized to develop comprehensive high-quality clinical content [ 34 ]. It provides a standardized way to represent clinical phrases captured by the clinician and enables automatic interpretation of these, which is showcased in a “five-step briefing” [ 35 ]. Interestingly, the number of annual publications on this subject has decreased since 2012. However, the need for a formal semantic representation of free text in health care remains, and automatic encoding into a compositional ontology could be a solution [ 36 ]. In terms of usability and user acceptance, evaluations and improvements of EHRs and clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are currently ongoing [ 37 ], for which already well-received examples can be attributed to CeoSYS [ 38 ] or the IPSS-M Risk Calculator [ 39 ]. Moreover, the actions of patients directly contributing to their own EHR records are also being evaluated. The study by Klein et al [ 40 ] indicates that such an approach facilitates the development of individual solutions for each patient, which in turn requires a flexible EHR during the course of a treatment process. Additionally, it was argued that data incorporation via different devices can also facilitate the convenient utilization of the application and, hence, may increase secondary use.

Modern CIS support the interaction by doctors and patients with the recorded patient data (eg, using the EHR or patient portals, eHealth platforms). It is important to understand the basic architecture, especially challenges [ 26 ], of the hospital IT infrastructure to know where data are located and how they can be retrieved and integrated. Major improvements can be made when supporting international standards for data exchange. Beyond standard EHR, this includes interoperability standards like Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR; see Topic 6) and standard data models like the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP; see Topic 7). These criteria should be considered with every new order of clinical systems.

Topic 3: Data Provenance—“Trace Your Data, Even Within Large-scale Efforts.”

Meaningful and standardized metadata facilitate the interpretation of, retrieval of, and access to data [ 41 ]. When explainable data are processed with interoperable tools, scientists can create automated and reusable workflows and provide access to reproducible research outcomes and data analysis pipelines [ 42 ].

Data provenance describes the history of digital objects, where they came from, how they came to be in their present state, and who or what acted upon them [ 43 ]. In health care, provenance maintains the integrity of digital objects (eg, the results of data analyses engender greater trust if their provenance shows how they were obtained). In addition, it can be used to deliver auditability and transparency, specifically, in learning health systems, and it is applicable across a range of applications [ 44 ]. Inau et al [ 45 ] argued that the lessons learned from “FAIRification” processes in other domains will also support evidence-based clinical practice and research transparency in the era of big medical data and open research. Further work demonstrated that a findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) research data management plan can provide a data infrastructure in the hospital for machine-actionable digital objects [ 46 ]. Recently, the openEHR approach was also suggested for creating FAIR-compliant clinical data repositories as an alternative representation [ 47 ].

Key data management requirements are defined by the FAIR guiding principles [ 48 ]. Since data protection laws led to additional requirements for data privacy and data security, the FAIR-Health principles focused on defining additional requirements for information on the sample material used from biobanks, for provenance information, and incentive schemes [ 49 ]. Further work is needed to establish provenance frameworks in health research infrastructures [ 50 ].

Topic 4: Data Sharing—“If Data Won’t Come to the Model, the Model Must Go to the Data.”

Cross-sectional medical data-sharing is critical in modern clinical practice and medical research, in which the challenge of privacy-preserving transfer and utility needs to be addressed [ 51 ]. In order to facilitate high reuse of the data, a decentralized computational scheme that treats the available data as part of a federated (virtual) database, avoiding centralized data collection, processing, and raw data exchanges, is still needed in many countries to analyze large and widespread clinical data [ 52 ].

One possible solution for this federated learning approach is DataSHIELD [ 53 ]. In particular, orchestrating privacy-protected analyses of “medical big data'' from different resources is applicable within R and DataSHIELD [ 54 ]. Here, the developed computerized models represent mathematical concepts or trained machine learning (ML)–based approaches to solve a specific task. In this sense, the model is applied to distributed data sets of the protected (clinical) server infrastructure, and the user only sees the model results but does not retrieve any medical records. Moreover, implementations in other programming languages (eg, Python, Julia) have been introduced in the genomic domain and beyond [ 55 ]. Further concepts, such as Personal Health Train, specifically follow the FAIR principles during distributed analyses [ 56 ]. Secure multiparty computation (SMPC) is also a viable technology for solving clinical use cases that require cross-institution data exchange and collaboration [ 57 ]. Current limitations are thought to be addressed in a stepwise manner [ 58 ] or as blockchain [ 59 ].

By using approaches for distributed analyses, researchers are able to train, test, and validate their models on large-scale real-world clinical data. In combination with standardized data formats, these 2 concepts facilitate the use of those models in clinical routine, potentially in the form of a CDSS. This provides a basis for secondary use of observational data in the context of clinical trials, which show particular potential for identifying data characteristics in small cohorts (eg, identification of the individual patient risk for rare diseases or comorbidities).

Harmonization and Processing

Topic 5: extract, transform, and load (etl)—“ etl processes are computational approaches for data harmonization and data unification.”.

Data handling in medical informatics remains a major challenge. Even though most data in medicine are available electronically, the data often lack interoperability [ 60 ]. As a first step to actually use the data, processes to extract, transform, and load (ETL) are needed to obtain harmonized data from different data systems or clinical entities. One important example, among many others, reflects the uniform representation of the date and time in a common format (eg, Year-Month-Date, not Date-Month-Year). The ETL process is therefore a crucial, individual step toward data unification in large clinical systems, which must be secure, safe, and accurate [ 61 ].

The design of an ETL process faces several challenges, including the following: (1) The ETL process should be able to process huge amounts of data at once [ 62 ]; (2) the ETL process should be repeatable—if the source data change, the ETL process needs to be rerun to process the source data (Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics [OHDSI]) [ 63 ]; (3) expert-level anonymization methodologies might be integrated into ETL workflows whenever possible [ 61 ]; and (4) there is a need to check for loss of data and compromised data integrity. The latter was highlighted in a recent study, in which inaccurate cohort identification took place because erroneous vocabulary mappings of a common data model were used (eg, ETL programming bugs and errors not captured during the quality assurance stages) [ 64 ]. Common solutions to implement ETL processes are code-based (eg, FHIR-to-OMOP [ 65 ]) or via Pentaho Data Integration, which is one of many ETL tools. Further subsequent processing may also include loading data into research data repositories, like OMOP (see Topic 7), tranSMART, and Talend Open Studio, which is a central component of the Integrated Data Repository Toolkit [ 66 ].

Since ETL processes are at the core of data handling, all risks associated with the ETL process need to be thoroughly checked, identified, and assessed, and contingency plans to mitigate these risks should be in place [ 67 ]. Once the ETL processes are executed, the resulting data will be trusted by researchers, who heavily rely on comprehensively checked data integrity to be able to conduct their research on this basis.

Topic 6: FHIR—“Set FHIR to Gain a Communication Standard for Real-time Applications at the Device-to-Device Level.”

Interoperability levels can be divided into technical, syntactic, semantic, and organizational interoperability [ 2 ]. Semantic and syntactic interoperability can be ensured by communication exchange standards, such as the FHIR [ 68 ] standard of Health Level 7 (HL7) and medical terminologies. A suitable starting point for the basic procedures is offered by FHIR drills [ 69 ] or fire.ly [ 70 ].

FHIR is one of many communication standards but will likely change the domain of clinical IT significantly [ 71 , 72 ]. As a communication standard, FHIR harmonizes data formats coming from different CIS and enables data exchange between institutions via a RESTful approach [ 73 ]. Moreover, FHIR is used to connect devices with each other, which means, in particular, that the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) [ 74 ] standard has been revised to support HL7 messaging as well. In turn, IHE has been developing an open-source device tool set for home and hospital use that recently enabled device control capabilities, a capability accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow nurses and physicians to operate ventilators and infusion devices outside the contaminated patient room [ 75 ].

Utilizing FHIR in multiple applications already shows its versatile and flexible use (eg, in mobile health applications [ 76 ], electrocardiogram monitoring [ 77 ], or wearable devices and precision medicine in digital health [ 72 ]). In particular, the SMART-on-FHIR technology enables third-party app development for health care applications [ 78 ] and encompasses feasible, secure, and time- and resource-efficient solutions [ 79 , 80 ].

Topic 7: OMOP—“Use Common Data Models as Well-defined Representations of Large-scale Research Projects.”

Data harmonization enables research teams to run real-world observational studies based on heterogeneous data across country borders. Thus, harmonized data embedded in a common data model (CDM), which is an agreement about the utilization of standardized terminologies for data representation, is crucial to exchange data and results on a large scale. To foster reliability and trust in the results of observational research on real-world data, it is essential to utilize CDMs whenever possible to ensure a high degree of data analysis reproducibility.

Several CDMs exist for that purpose; the OMOP CDM from the OHDSI community is one of the most promising and established approaches. In comparison with other CDMs, such as the Sentinel CDM or Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2), the OMOP CDM has broader terminology coverage [ 81 ]. The importance of the OMOP CDM increased a lot over the last years [ 82 ], not least since the European Medicines Agency initiated the Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN) [ 83 ] project to establish a research network in Europe to gain real-world evidence based on OMOP. Moreover, representations of genomic data [ 84 ], oncology [ 85 ], and imaging projects [ 86 ] are also suitable. In addition, the common representation of the data in OMOP semantic interoperability is ensured by utilizing international terminologies and vocabularies, such as SNOMED-CT, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), and RxNorm to represent every clinical fact in OMOP. Additionally, the open-source OHDSI software stack provides standardized methodology and libraries for data analyses (Athenahene, Atlas, HADES) and training (EHDEN Academy) [ 87 ], as well as a framework to assess and improve data quality to foster reliability and trust in research results [ 88 ].

The OMOP CDM is one possibility to represent and analyze clinical data on a research scale. Definition of new cohorts within OMOP enables researchers to quickly investigate questions spanning multiple research entities. Collectively, both FHIR and OMOP can define the structure and relations of the clinical data corpus, and the individual EHRs provide content to these standardized data reservoirs. In comparison, OMOP is commonly used for static large-scale data analysis of research data, and FHIR is more suitable for rapid data integration scenarios (ie, for real-time applications and analysis). In summary, it is important to know and utilize newly established standards to participate in broader clinical networks for research. This way, all information within the EHR is comparable across different clinical sites and research settings.

Evaluation, Visualization, and Dissemination

Topic 8: data quality—“guarantee high quality and then publish the data.”.

What is meant to be appropriate data quality for health informatics research? In this domain, data quality depends on the quality of single data elements, data completeness, data conformance, and data plausibility aspects that may considerably determine the validity and veracity of analysis results [ 89 , 90 ]. Moreover, data quality across different institutional entities and even health sectors requires additional efforts concerning the different personnel, instruments, and more [ 91 ]. High-quality data at hand is one fundamental requirement that is often difficult or impossible to achieve, which is why the generation of synthetic data can be an alternative that satisfies privacy problems as well as research needs when data are expensive, scarce, or unavailable by augmentation [ 92 ].

First, a major problem is that clinical data have to be electronically recorded, accessed, and standardized in order to run quality assessment processes [ 26 ]. In addition, it would be important to design and use the same data quality tool, standard operating procedures, or ETL mapping rules in all involved institutions. However, in real-life scenarios, there is a lack of both centrally coordinated data quality indicators and formalization of plausibility rules, as well as a repository for automatic querying of the rules, especially in ETL processes [ 93 ]. Although numerous data quality evaluation frameworks exist, no clear and widespread approach has been adopted so far [ 67 , 94 - 96 ]. Even after a well-chosen data quality procedure is properly implemented, clinical data as such cannot be published along with the performed study. As an alternative, synthetic data generation models function in the following 2 different ways: (1) The model is trained, for example, using real-world data and, once trained, will not require any data in the future (model-based approaches), and (2) the model is constantly fed with data to generate synthetic data (data-driven approaches). There are 3 different categories of algorithms used in the generation of synthetic data: probabilistic models, such as Bayesian networks [ 97 ] and Copulas [ 98 ]; ML, such as Classification and Regression Trees (CART); and deep learning methods, such as a generative adversarial network (GAN) [ 99 - 101 ] and variational autoencoder (VAE) [ 102 ].

A combination of appropriate data quality evaluation and synthetic data generation highly facilitates the development of accurate AI models, which are essential in medical studies [ 103 ]. Thus, a corpus of high-quality synthetic data with many patients can be reused by other AI experts for model development and benchmarking. Moreover, it is essential to create an infrastructure that is used across a large community of hospitals; maps the entire treatment process electronically; and only generates interoperable, structured data based on FHIR (Topic 6) and OMOP (Topic 7) in accordance with the FAIR principles (Topic 3). Afterward, one can finally run quality assessment processes.

Topic 9: Clinical Decision Support Systems—“Bring Insights, Not Additional Work, Back to the Clinics via a CDSS and Other User-Centric Applications.”

CDSS are computer systems designed to assist the medical staff with decision-making tasks about individual patients and based on clinical data [ 104 ]. The decision-making process is still, and will remain, on the shoulders of the physician [ 105 ]. The categories of CDSS include knowledge-based systems that make use of clinical rules, nonknowledge-based systems (eg, AI-based systems), and hybrid CDSS that likewise utilize clinical models and knowledge in combination with AI.

The use of a CDSS in a well-implemented clinical workflow has many positive aspects. It may lead to fewer error rates [ 106 ], accelerate rare disease diagnosis [ 107 ], increase radiologists’ job satisfaction [ 108 ], offer personalized cancer treatment [ 109 ], or help with real-time cardiovascular risk assessment [ 110 ]. Interestingly, computerized alerting systems, which are one of the most disseminated CDSS, can decrease drug-drug interactions significantly [ 111 ]. On the other hand, if done improperly, a CDSS can cause alert fatigue by creating too many alerts. If a system is not context-sensitive, alerts can even be inappropriate [ 112 ]. According to Olakotan et al [ 112 ], influencing factors of a well-designed CDSS need to include aspects about the (1) technology (eg, usability, alert presentation, workload, and data entry), (2) human (eg, training, knowledge, skills, attitude, and behavior), (3) organization (eg, rules and regulations, privacy, and security), and (4) and process (eg, waste, delay, tuning, and optimization). To avoid a lack of transparency and facilitate acceptance by physicians, especially with nonknowledge-based systems, current CDSS seek to use explainable AI approaches; however, the selection of methods used to present explanations in an informative and efficient ( clinically useful ) manner remains challenging [ 113 ]. Of note, a CDSS may also have a negative influence on the performance of physicians, especially if inadequate suggestions occur more often, which cannot be compensated with explanations [ 114 ]. However, one among many other prominent approaches to obtain such explanations via ML-based feature selection and ranking can be found in the work from Wolfien et al [ 115 ]. In terms of an OMOP-based implementation in research, there is patient-level prediction (PLP), which is designed to foster the clinical decision-making process concerning diagnoses or treatment pathways based on the EHR of the patient and the current clinical guideline. It is used to answer questions, such as identifying patients among a larger population at higher risk of a certain outcome (eg, occurrence of cancer, severe side effects, or death) by using data in standardized formats (eg, as previously described via OMOP CDM). Once the model is designed, the covariates will be extracted from the respective CDM of the target person within the cohort, and the respective outcome will be predicted (eg, via PLP [ 116 , 117 ] or other customized prediction algorithms). Importantly, the results from model prediction should first be internally validated with previously unseen data and afterward compared with established scoring systems (eg, Framingham Risk Score [ 118 ], SCORE2 [ 119 ]) to connect with already known domain-specific contexts and to prove its benefit in clinical practice. An additional validation with external data, as part of a multicenter study, can be seen as highly beneficial, in which the already presented topics of federated learning (Topic 4) and OMOP (Topic 7) could significantly foster such an essential scenario [ 120 ].

Collectively, a CDSS increases patient safety, assists in clinical management, and can be cost-effective [ 104 ]. In general, findings of even erroneous CDSS can be used to guide the design of new CDSS alerts. However, the existing risks cannot be solved solely on a technical basis and require an interdisciplinary effort. In particular, continuous, clear communication between IT professionals (developers) and health professionals (end users) during the design process is key. Only a profound understanding of the needs and requirements of either of the involved parties can lead to well-designed systems that are actually able to support and relieve physicians in doing their job.

Topic 10: Visualizations—“Improved Dissemination of Local and External Data From Computational Models by Well-defined Interactive Visualizations.”

Large volumes of data collected from patient registries, health centers, genomic databases, and public records can potentially improve the efficiency and quality of health care via enhancing the interoperability of medical systems, assisting in clinical decision-making, and delivering feedback on effective procedures [ 121 ]. However, each and every raw data point must go through different analytical processes until they become useful and interpretable at the point of care.

R and Python are 2 versatile open-source programming languages that have gained popularity for different purposes, such as preprocessing (eg, tidyverse), statistical tests (eg, dplyr), ML and deep learning (eg, mlr package, caret), visualization (eg, ggplot), and writing reports directly using knitr and R markdown (RStudio education [ 122 ]). Like R, Python offers different libraries for data science tasks (eg, open mined [ 123 ]) in addition to a library specifically for health predictive models, namely PyHealth [ 124 ]. Another versatile visualization functionality is offered for both languages via R Shiny [ 125 ] and Plotly Dash [ 126 ]. These 2 platforms enable data scientists to create interactive web applications directly from a script. The applications can be extended using embedded CSS themes, HTML widgets, and Javascript actions. There is already evidence that implementing clinical dashboards or CDSS for immediate access to current patient information can improve processes and patient outcomes [ 127 ], especially if the data sets are further evaluated and refined [ 128 ]. Similar to FHIR, OHDSI provides tools for analyzing data in the OMOP CDM, which are written in R and use Shiny for the visualization. As a plus, data already stored in the OMOP CDM format can be used in systematic studies, patient-level analysis, and population-based estimations from scratch. The cBioPortal is one prime example of a web resource for exploring, visualizing, and analyzing multidimensional data, which reduces molecular profiling data from cancer tissues and cell lines into readily understandable genetic, epigenetic, gene expression, and proteomic events [ 129 ]. It was recently demonstrated how cBioPortal can be extended and integrated with other tools to a comprehensive and easily deployable software solution that supports the work of a molecular tumor board [ 130 ] and even deliver meaningful scientific insights [ 131 ]. Another translational research platform for the construction and integration of modern clinical research charts is Informatics for i2b2, which is also at the heart of clinical research [ 132 , 133 ].

Computational approaches and data analyses are tightly connected with medical research; the visualization of such complex data for clinicians in a routine setting especially plays a larger role. The current developments of translational research platforms, such as cBioPortal and i2b2, enable swift translation of research results into the clinic, if adequately adopted and enough trained people supervise the process.

The need for qualified IT specialists in medical informatics has increased continuously in recent years and will continue to grow in the future. On the other hand, medical informatics in Germany faces problems with the ​​promotion of young researchers. These current developments mean that vacancies in IT in hospitals and the health care industry can often not be filled or only after very long vacancies. In addition, these positions often have to be filled with nonspecialist staff due to a lack of applications. To keep track of these recent developments and provide a basis for interdisciplinary communication, we provide our list of 10 topics that could be used by different stakeholders individually ( Figure 2 ). With a particular focus in medicine, improved interdisciplinary communication has already been shown to positively impact patient outcomes and enhance employee engagement [ 134 ].

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Exemplary outcome visualization of the underlying study, in which the color coding reflects the initial colors of the proposed sections; it starts with an individual perception of the term medical informatics (MI) based on the individual’s background and ends with acquisition of common domain knowledge for current important topics. CDSS: clinical decision support system; EHR: electronic health record; ETL; extract, transform, and load; FAIR; findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable; FHIR; Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources; OMOP: Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership.

Furthermore, medical informatics has developed rapidly in recent years. This applies, for example, to new methods, techniques, tools, framework conditions, and organizational structures, especially in the field of medical data science. In particular, definitions of standards and a national digitized data corpus, namely the German Core Dataset [ 135 ], were agreed upon. The actual assessment and collection of digitized data in local university hospitals are utilized in so-called data integration centers. These interoperable research data infrastructures enable rapid multisite research, for example, with complex COVID-19 research data sets (German Corona Consensus Dataset [GECCO]) [ 136 ] including clinical data and data on biosamples from all German university hospitals in pseudonymized form (CODEX) [ 137 , 138 ] or the COVID-19 Data Portal [ 139 ]. The subsequent formation of the Network University Medicine (NUM) strengthens the existing interaction between research and patient care, stabilizes existing structures, and creates new structures that ensure more effective feedback and close cooperation between the clinics. The presented examples of NUM and CODEX, among others [ 140 ], attempt a central approach to bundle and harmonize necessary resources like broad consent or the elektronische Patientenakte (ePa), which is the implementation of EHR as a national entity to ultimately facilitate an interconnected health care system.

Finally, all those involved in medical informatics are called upon to engage in lifelong learning and continuously acquire further qualifications.

Exemplary Implementation of the Addressed Topics in the German Medical Informatics in Research and Care in University Medicine Consortium

This article offers newcomers to medical informatics a first introduction and a wealthy overview of current IT-related topics in research and patient care. Nevertheless, there is also a need for further qualification of employees through new, innovative offers for training, further education, and further training. As part of the MII [ 11 ], all consortia were asked to develop and set up appropriate offers and formats. The Medical Informatics in Research and Care in University Medicine (MIRACUM) consortium [ 141 ] has reacted and set up the part-time training and further education program “Biomedical Informatics and Data Science” [ 142 ] and introduced it at the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences in October 2020. The program includes a time-flexible and individually adaptable part-time online master’s course, as well as certificate courses and programs for further scientific education. In addition to the establishment and continuous further development of a cloud-based learning platform, many new digital and target group–oriented learning resources and application-oriented learning environments were developed and introduced for the master's program.

All 10 topics listed in this article are reflected in the curriculum of the master’s degree and have been offered and dealt with in-depth in the individual courses for more than 2 years. The demand for the master’s program and certificate courses is high, and the evaluation has shown that these topic-specific foci correspond to the training and further education needs of the target groups. One particular aspect that was not covered in the final topics refers to the underlying infrastructure needed to provide the data storage and processing backbone. This aspect would have been too technical for a more broadly set, introductory article, such as this article. A starting point for more in-depth information about this aspect can be obtained from further literature [ 143 , 144 ]. However, to offer a practical start to the 10 topics, we provide links to well-known tutorials and hands-on materials ( Table 1 ).

We suggest a set of 10 topics to ease the start for researchers and clinicians to become engaged with basic concepts in health informatics research. We provide current review articles for more in-depth reading about the specific topic and present practical hands-on material. The presented topics likewise serve as a broad overview of the medical informatics research domain but also guide individuals and their specific interests. For example, a computer scientist familiar with CDSS development could more easily connect with important aspects, such as data privacy, FHIR, and specific EHRs that are highly relevant for daily work. In contrast, medical experts can obtain an overview of behind-the-scenes technologies, like ETL processes and underlying data quality approaches that are finally visualized as a summarizing clinical dashboard. For readers, we provided a first step toward an improved understanding of a lively and quickly expanding field, but more novel technologies and practical knowledge are ahead. Suggestions and contributions to improve the current topics can be made at GitHub, which will likewise enable content and readers to stay current [ 12 ].

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the Medical Informatics Initiative Medical Informatics in Research and Care in University Medicine (MIRACUM) Consortium (FKZ: 01ZZ180L [Dresden]; FZK: 01ZZ180A [Erlangen]; FKZ: 01ZZ1801M [Greifswald]). The article processing charge was funded by the joint publication funds of the Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, including the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine; Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) Dresden; and the Open Access Publication Funding of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The funding sources had no involvement in the conduct of the research and preparation of the article.

Abbreviations

AIartificial intelligence
CARTClassification and Regression Tree
CDMcommon data model
CDSSclinical decision support system
CISclinical information system
DARWINData Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network
EHRelectronic health record
ePaelektronische Patientenakte
ETLextract, transform, and load
FAIRfindable, accessible, interoperable, reusable
FHIRFast Healthcare Interoperability Resources
GANgenerative adversarial network
GDPRGeneral Data Protection Regulation
GECCOGerman Corona Consensus Dataset
HL7Health Level 7
i2b2Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside
ICDInternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems
IHEIntegrating the Healthcare Enterprise
LOINCLogical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes
MIIMedical Informatics Initiative
MIRACUMMedical Informatics in Research and Care in University Medicine
MLmachine learning
NUMNetwork University Medicine
OHDSIObservational Health Data Sciences and Informatics
OMOPObservational Medical Outcomes Partnership
PLPpatient-level prediction
SMPCsecure multiparty computation
SNOMED CTSystematized Nomenclature of Medicine and Clinical Terms
VAEvariational autoencoder

Authors' Contributions: MW conceptualized the study, curated the data, and wrote the original manuscript draft. MW also defined the initial topics 1 and 2; MZ defined the initial topics 3 and 4; YP defined the initial topics 5 and 6; IR defined the initial topics 7 and 8; and NA defined the initial topics 8, 9, and 10. MS provided the resources and supervised the study. The topics were revised and extended by KF, AK, SG, DK, KLH, ICJ, CS, JS, TS, PS, and DW. MW, NA, YP, MZ, IR, and MS performed the formal analysis, and MW, NA, and MS created the visualizations. NA, YP, MZ, IR, and MS wrote, reviewed, and edited the manuscript, and all authors read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

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  • Published: 07 December 2020

2021: research and medical trends in a post-pandemic world

  • Mike May 1  

Nature Medicine volume  26 ,  pages 1808–1809 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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Goodbye 2020, a year of arguably too many challenges for the world. As tempting as it is to leave this year behind, the biomedical community is forever changed by the pandemic, while business as usual needs to carry on. Looking forward to a new year, experts share six trends for the biomedical community in 2021.

Summing up 2020, Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, says “we’ve seen some excellent examples of people working together from academia, industry, and healthcare sectors...I’m hopeful that will stay with us going into 2021.” Nonetheless, we have lost ground and momentum in non-COVID research, she says. “This could have a profound effect on our ability to research other areas in the future.”

science research topics medicine

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has already revealed weaknesses in medical research and clinical capabilities, as well as opportunities. Although it is too soon to know when countries around the world will control the COVID-19 pandemic, there is already much to be learned.

To explore trends for 2021, we talked to experts from around the world who specialize in medical research. Here is what we learned.

1. The new normal

Marion Koopman, head of the Erasmus MC Department of Viroscience, predicts that emerging-disease experts will overwhelmingly remain focused on SARS-CoV-2, at least for the coming year.

“I really hope we will not go back to life as we used to know it, because that would mean that the risk of emerging diseases and the need for an ambitious preparedness research agenda would go to the back burner,” Koopman says. “That cannot happen.”

Scientists must stay prepared, because the virus keeps changing. Already, Koopman says, “We have seen spillback [of SARS-CoV-2] into mink in our country, and ongoing circulation with accumulation of mutations in the spike and other parts of the genome.”

Juleen R. Zierath, an expert in the physiological mechanisms of metabolic diseases at the Karolinska Institute and the University of Copenhagen, points out that the pandemic “has raised attention to deleterious health consequences of metabolic diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes,” because people with these disorders have been “disproportionally affected by COVID-19.” She notes that the coupling of the immune system to metabolism at large probably deserves more attention.

2. Trial by fire for open repositories

The speed of SARS-CoV-2’s spread transformed how scientists disseminate information. “There is an increased use of open repositories such as bioRxiv and medRxiv, enabling faster dissemination of study and trial results,” says Alan Karthikesalingam, Research Lead at Google Health UK. “When paired with the complementary — though necessarily slower — approach of peer review that safeguards rigor and quality, this can result in faster innovation.”

“I suspect that the way in which we communicate ongoing scientific developments from our laboratories will change going forward,” Zierath says. That is already happening, with many meetings going to virtual formats.

Deborah Johnson, president and CEO of the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, notes that while virtual events cannot fully replace the networking opportunities that are created with in-person meetings, “virtual events have democratized access to biomedical research conferences, enabling greater participation from young investigators and those from low-and-middle-income countries.” Even when in-person conferences return, she says, “it will be important to continue to offer virtual components that engage these broader audiences.”

3. Leaps and bounds for immunology

Basic research on the immune system, catapulted to the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, has received a boost in attention this year, and more research in that field could pay off big going forward.

Immunobiologist Akiko Iwasaki at the Yale School of Medicine hopes that the pandemic will drive a transformation in immunology. “It has become quite clear over decades of research that mucosal immunity against respiratory, gastrointestinal, and sexually transmitted infections is much more effective in thwarting off invading pathogens than systemic immunity,” she says. “Yet, the vast majority of vaccine efforts are put into parenteral vaccines.”

“It is time for the immunology field to do a deep dive in understanding fundamental mechanisms of protection at the mucosal surfaces, as well as to developing strategies that allow the immune response to be targeted to the mucosal surfaces,” she explains.

“We are discovering that the roles of immune cells extend far beyond what was previously thought, to play underlying roles in health and disease across all human systems, from cancer to mental health,” says Johnson.

She sees this knowledge leading to more engineered immune cells to treat diseases. “Cancer immunotherapies will likely serve as the proving ground for immune-mediated therapies against many other diseases that we are only starting to see through the lens of the immune system.”

4. Rewind time for neurodegeneration

Oskar Hansson, research team manager of Lund University’s Clinical Memory Research, expects the trend of attempting to intervene against neurodegenerative disease before widespread neurodegeneration, and even before symptom onset, to continue next year.

This approach has already shown potential. “Several promising disease-modifying therapies against Alzheimer’s disease are now planned to be evaluated in this early pre-symptomatic disease phase,” he says, “and I think we will have similar developments in other areas like Parkinson’s disease and [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis].”

Delving deeper into such treatments depends on better understanding of how neurodegeneration develops. As Hansson notes, the continued development of cohort studies from around the world will help scientists “study how different factors — genetics, development, lifestyle, etcetera — affect the initiation and evolution of even the pre-symptomatic stages of the disease, which most probably will result in a much deeper understanding of the disease as well as discovery of new drug targets.”

5. Digital still front and center

“As [artificial intelligence] algorithms around the world begin to be released more commonly in regulated medical device software, I think there will be an increasing trend toward prospective research examining algorithmic robustness, safety, credibility and fairness in real-world medical settings,” says Karthikesalingam. “The opportunity for clinical and machine-learning research to improve patient outcomes in this setting is substantial.”

However, more trials are needed to prove which artificial intelligence works in medicine and which does not. Eric Topol, a cardiologist who combines genomic and digital medicine in his work at Scripps Research, says “there are not many big, annotated sets of data on, for example, scans, and you need big datasets to train new algorithms.” Otherwise, only unsupervised learning algorithms can be used, and “that’s trickier,” he says.

Despite today’s bottlenecks in advancing digital health, Topol remains very optimistic. “Over time, we’ll see tremendous progress across all modalities — imaging data, speech data, and text data — to gather important information through patient tests, research articles or reviewing patient chats,” he says.

He envisions that speech-recognition software could, for instance, capture physician–patient talks and turn them into notes. “Doctors will love this,” he says, “and patients will be able to look a doctor in the eye, which enhances the relationship.”

6. ‘Be better prepared’ — a new medical mantra

One trend that every expert interviewed has emphasized is the need for preparation. As Gabriel Leung, a specialist in public-health medicine at the University of Hong Kong, put it, “We need a readiness — not just in technology platforms but also business cases — to have a sustained pipeline of vaccines and therapies, so that we would not be scrambling for some of the solutions in the middle of a pandemic.”

Building social resilience ahead of a crisis is also important. “[SARS-CoV-2] and the resulting pandemic make up the single most important watershed in healthcare,” Leung explains. “The justice issue around infection risk, access to testing and treatment — thus outcomes — already make up the single gravest health inequity in the last century.”

One change that Peacock hopes for in the near future is the sequencing of pathogens on location, instead of more centrally. “For pathogen sequencing, you need to be able to apply it where the problem under investigation is happening,” she explains. “In the UK, COVID-19 has been the catalyst for us to develop a highly collaborative, distributed network of sequencing capabilities.”

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Biomedical Research Paper Topics

Academic Writing Service

This page offers students an extensive list of biomedical research paper topics , expert advice on how to choose these topics, and guidance on how to write a compelling biomedical research paper. The guide also introduces the services of iResearchNet, an academic assistance company that caters to the unique needs of each student. Offering expert writers, custom-written works, and a host of other features, iResearchNet provides the tools and support necessary for students to excel in their biomedical research papers.

100 Biomedical Research Paper Topics

Biomedical research is a vibrant field, with an extensive range of topics drawn from various sub-disciplines. It encompasses the study of biological processes, clinical medicine, and even technology and engineering applied to the domain of healthcare. Given the sheer breadth of this field, choosing a specific topic can sometimes be overwhelming. To help you navigate this rich landscape, here is a list of biomedical research paper topics, divided into ten categories, each with ten specific topics.

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1. Genetics and Genomics

  • Role of genetics in rare diseases
  • Advances in gene editing: CRISPR technology
  • Human genome project: findings and implications
  • Genetic basis of cancer
  • Personalized medicine through genomics
  • Epigenetic modifications and disease progression
  • Genomic data privacy and ethical implications
  • Role of genetics in mental health disorders
  • Prenatal genetic screening and ethical considerations
  • Gene therapy in rare genetic disorders

2. Bioengineering and Biotechnology

  • Tissue engineering in regenerative medicine
  • Bioprinting of organs: possibilities and challenges
  • Role of nanotechnology in targeted drug delivery
  • Biosensors in disease diagnosis
  • Bioinformatics in drug discovery
  • Development and application of biomaterials
  • Bioremediation and environmental cleanup
  • Biotechnology in agriculture and food production
  • Therapeutic applications of stem cells
  • Role of biotechnology in pandemic preparedness

3. Neuroscience and Neurology

  • Pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease
  • Advances in Parkinson’s disease research
  • Role of neuroimaging in mental health diagnosis
  • Understanding the brain-gut axis
  • Neurobiology of addiction
  • Role of neuroplasticity in recovery from brain injury
  • Sleep disorders and cognitive function
  • Brain-computer interfaces: possibilities and ethical issues
  • Neural correlates of consciousness
  • Epigenetic influence on neurodevelopmental disorders

4. Immunology

  • Immune response to COVID-19
  • Role of immunotherapy in cancer treatment
  • Autoimmune diseases: causes and treatments
  • Vaccination and herd immunity
  • The hygiene hypothesis and rising allergy prevalence
  • Role of gut microbiota in immune function
  • Immunosenescence and age-related diseases
  • Role of inflammation in chronic diseases
  • Advances in HIV/AIDS research
  • Immunology of transplantation

5. Cardiovascular Research

  • Advances in understanding and treating heart failure
  • Role of lifestyle factors in cardiovascular disease
  • Cardiovascular disease in women
  • Hypertension: causes and treatments
  • Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis
  • Role of inflammation in heart disease
  • Novel biomarkers for cardiovascular disease
  • Personalized medicine in cardiology
  • Advances in cardiac surgery
  • Pediatric cardiovascular diseases

6. Infectious Diseases

  • Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases
  • Role of antiviral drugs in managing viral diseases
  • Antibiotic resistance: causes and solutions
  • Zoonotic diseases and public health
  • Role of vaccination in preventing infectious diseases
  • Infectious diseases in immunocompromised individuals
  • Role of genomic sequencing in tracking disease outbreaks
  • HIV/AIDS: prevention and treatment
  • Advances in malaria research
  • Tuberculosis: challenges in prevention and treatment

7. Aging Research

  • Biological mechanisms of aging
  • Impact of lifestyle on healthy aging
  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Role of genetics in longevity
  • Aging and cognitive decline
  • Social aspects of aging
  • Advances in geriatric medicine
  • Aging and the immune system
  • Role of physical activity in aging
  • Aging and mental health

8. Endocrinology

  • Advances in diabetes research
  • Obesity: causes and health implications
  • Thyroid disorders: causes and treatments
  • Role of hormones in mental health
  • Endocrine disruptors and human health
  • Role of insulin in metabolic syndrome
  • Advances in treatment of endocrine disorders
  • Hormones and cardiovascular health
  • Reproductive endocrinology
  • Role of endocrinology in aging

9. Mental Health Research

  • Advances in understanding and treating depression
  • Impact of stress on mental health
  • Advances in understanding and treating schizophrenia
  • Child and adolescent mental health
  • Mental health in the elderly
  • Impact of social media on mental health
  • Suicide prevention and mental health services
  • Role of psychotherapy in mental health
  • Mental health disparities

10. Oncology

  • Advances in cancer immunotherapy
  • Role of genomics in cancer diagnosis and treatment
  • Lifestyle factors and cancer risk
  • Early detection and prevention of cancer
  • Advances in targeted cancer therapies
  • Role of radiation therapy in cancer treatment
  • Cancer disparities and social determinants of health
  • Pediatric oncology: challenges and advances
  • Role of stem cells in cancer
  • Cancer survivorship and quality of life

These biomedical research paper topics represent a wide array of studies within the field of biomedical research, providing a robust platform to delve into the intricacies of human health and disease. Each topic offers a unique opportunity to explore the remarkable advancements in biomedical research, contributing to the ongoing quest to enhance human health and wellbeing.

Choosing Biomedical Research Paper Topics

The selection of a suitable topic for your biomedical research paper is a critical initial step that will largely influence the course of your study. The right topic will not only engage your interest but will also be robust enough to contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Here are ten tips to guide you in choosing the best topic for your biomedical research paper.

  • Relevance to Your Coursework and Interests: Your topic should align with the courses you have taken or are currently enrolled in. Moreover, a topic that piques your interest will motivate you to delve deeper into research, resulting in a richer, more nuanced paper.
  • Feasibility: Consider the practicality of your proposed research. Do you have access to the necessary resources, including the literature, laboratories, or databases needed for your study? Ensure that your topic is one that you can manage given your resources and time constraints.
  • Novelty and Originality: While it is essential to ensure your topic aligns with your coursework and is feasible, strive to select a topic that brings a new perspective or fresh insight to your field. Originality enhances the contribution of your research to the broader academic community.
  • Scope: A well-defined topic helps maintain a clear focus during your research. Avoid choosing a topic too broad that it becomes unmanageable, or so narrow that it lacks depth. Balancing the scope of your research is key to a successful paper.
  • Future Career Goals: Consider how your chosen topic could align with or benefit your future career goals. A topic related to your future interests can provide an early start to your career, showcasing your knowledge in that particular field.
  • Available Supervision and Mentoring: If you’re in a setting where you have a mentor or supervisor, choose a topic that fits within their area of expertise. This choice will ensure you have the best possible guidance during your research process.
  • Ethical Considerations: Some topics may involve ethical considerations, particularly those involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive data. Make sure your topic is ethically sound and you’re prepared to address any related ethical considerations.
  • Potential Impact: Consider the potential impact of your research on the field of biomedical science. The best research often addresses a gap in the current knowledge or has the potential to bring about change in healthcare practices or policies.
  • Literature Gap: Literature review can help identify gaps in the existing body of knowledge. Choosing a topic that fills in these gaps can make your research more valuable and unique.
  • Flexibility: While it’s essential to start with a clear topic, remain open to slight shifts or changes as your research unfolds. Your research might reveal a different angle or a more exciting question within your chosen field, so stay flexible.

Remember, choosing a topic should be an iterative process, and your initial ideas will likely evolve as you conduct a preliminary literature review and discuss your thoughts with your mentors or peers. The ultimate goal is to choose a topic that you are passionate about, as this passion will drive your work and make the research process more enjoyable and fulfilling.

How to Write a Biomedical Research Paper

Writing a biomedical research paper can be a daunting task. However, with careful planning and strategic execution, the process can be more manageable and rewarding. Below are ten tips to help guide you through the process of writing a biomedical research paper.

  • Understand Your Assignment: Before you begin your research or writing, make sure you understand the requirements of your assignment. Know the expected length, due date, formatting style, and any specific sections or components you need to include.
  • Thorough Literature Review: A comprehensive literature review allows you to understand the current knowledge in your research area and identify gaps where your research can contribute. It will help you shape your research question and place your work in context.
  • Clearly Define Your Research Question: A well-defined research question guides your research and keeps your writing focused. It should be clear, specific, and concise, serving as the backbone of your study.
  • Prepare a Detailed Outline: An outline helps organize your thoughts and create a roadmap for your paper. It should include all the sections of your research paper, such as the introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.
  • Follow the IMRaD Structure: Most biomedical research papers follow the IMRaD format—Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. This structure facilitates the orderly and logical presentation of your research.
  • Use Clear and Concise Language: Biomedical research papers should be written in a clear and concise manner to ensure the reader understands the research’s purpose, methods, and findings. Avoid unnecessary jargon and ensure that complex ideas are explained clearly.
  • Proper Citation and Reference: Always properly cite the sources of information you use in your paper. This not only provides credit where it’s due but also allows your readers to follow your line of research. Be sure to follow the citation style specified in your assignment.
  • Discuss the Implications: In your discussion, go beyond simply restating your findings. Discuss the implications of your results, how they relate to previous research, and how they contribute to the existing knowledge in the field.
  • Proofread and Edit: Never underestimate the importance of proofreading and editing. Checking for grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and clarity of language can enhance the readability of your paper.
  • Seek Feedback Before Final Submission: Before submitting your paper, seek feedback from peers, mentors, or supervisors. Fresh eyes can often spot unclear sections or errors that you may have missed.

Writing a biomedical research paper is a significant academic endeavor, but remember that every researcher started where you are right now. It’s a process that requires time, effort, and patience. Remember, the ultimate goal is not just to get a good grade but also to contribute to the vast body of biomedical knowledge.

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This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

Published on 10.9.2024 in Vol 26 (2024)

Prompt Engineering Paradigms for Medical Applications: Scoping Review

Authors of this article:

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  • Jamil Zaghir 1, 2 * , MSc   ; 
  • Marco Naguib 3 * , MSc   ; 
  • Mina Bjelogrlic 1, 2 , PhD   ; 
  • Aurélie Névéol 3 , PhD   ; 
  • Xavier Tannier 4 , PhD   ; 
  • Christian Lovis 1, 2 , MPH, MD  

1 Division of Medical Information Sciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

2 Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

3 Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Sciences du Numérique, Orsay, France

4 Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Université Sorbonne Paris-Nord, Laboratoire d'Informatique Médicale et d'Ingénierie des Connaissances en eSanté, LIMICS, Paris, France

*these authors contributed equally

Corresponding Author:

Jamil Zaghir, MSc

Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics

University of Geneva

Chemin des Mines, 9

Geneva, 1202

Switzerland

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Background: Prompt engineering, focusing on crafting effective prompts to large language models (LLMs), has garnered attention for its capabilities at harnessing the potential of LLMs. This is even more crucial in the medical domain due to its specialized terminology and language technicity. Clinical natural language processing applications must navigate complex language and ensure privacy compliance. Prompt engineering offers a novel approach by designing tailored prompts to guide models in exploiting clinically relevant information from complex medical texts. Despite its promise, the efficacy of prompt engineering in the medical domain remains to be fully explored.

Objective: The aim of the study is to review research efforts and technical approaches in prompt engineering for medical applications as well as provide an overview of opportunities and challenges for clinical practice.

Methods: Databases indexing the fields of medicine, computer science, and medical informatics were queried in order to identify relevant published papers. Since prompt engineering is an emerging field, preprint databases were also considered. Multiple data were extracted, such as the prompt paradigm, the involved LLMs, the languages of the study, the domain of the topic, the baselines, and several learning, design, and architecture strategies specific to prompt engineering. We include studies that apply prompt engineering–based methods to the medical domain, published between 2022 and 2024, and covering multiple prompt paradigms such as prompt learning (PL), prompt tuning (PT), and prompt design (PD).

Results: We included 114 recent prompt engineering studies. Among the 3 prompt paradigms, we have observed that PD is the most prevalent (78 papers). In 12 papers, PD, PL, and PT terms were used interchangeably. While ChatGPT is the most commonly used LLM, we have identified 7 studies using this LLM on a sensitive clinical data set. Chain-of-thought, present in 17 studies, emerges as the most frequent PD technique. While PL and PT papers typically provide a baseline for evaluating prompt-based approaches, 61% (48/78) of the PD studies do not report any nonprompt-related baseline. Finally, we individually examine each of the key prompt engineering–specific information reported across papers and find that many studies neglect to explicitly mention them, posing a challenge for advancing prompt engineering research.

Conclusions: In addition to reporting on trends and the scientific landscape of prompt engineering, we provide reporting guidelines for future studies to help advance research in the medical field. We also disclose tables and figures summarizing medical prompt engineering papers available and hope that future contributions will leverage these existing works to better advance the field.

Introduction

In recent years, the development of large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-3 has disrupted the field of natural language processing (NLP). LLMs have demonstrated capabilities in processing and generating human-like text, with applications ranging from text generation and translation to question answering and summarization [ 1 ]. However, harnessing the full potential of LLMs requires careful consideration of how input prompts are formulated and optimized [ 2 ].

Input prompts denote a set of instructions provided to the LLM to execute a task. Prompt engineering, a term coined to describe the strategic design and optimization of prompts for LLMs, has emerged as a crucial aspect of leveraging these models. By crafting prompts that effectively convey tasks or queries, researchers and practitioners can guide LLMs to improve the accuracy and pertinence of responses. The literature defines prompt engineering in various ways: it can be regarded as a prompt structuring process that enhances the efficiency of an LLM to achieve a specific objective [ 3 ] or as the mechanism through which LLMs are programmed by prompts [ 4 ]. Prompt engineering encompasses a plethora of techniques, often separated into distinct categories such as output customization and prompt improvement [ 4 ]. Existing prompt paradigms are presented in more detail in the Methods section.

In the realm of medical NLP, significant advancements have been made, such as the release of LLMs specialized in medical language and the availability of public medical data sets, including in languages other than English [ 5 ]. The unique intricacies of medical language, characterized by its terminological precision, context sensitivity, and domain-specific nuances, demand a dedicated focus and exploration of NLP in health care research. Despite these imperatives, to our knowledge, there is currently no systematic review analyzing prompt engineering applied to the medical domain.

The aim of this scoping review is to shed light on prompt engineering, as it is developed and used in the medical field, by systematically analyzing the literature in the field. Specifically, we examine the definitions, methodologies, techniques, and outcomes of prompt engineering across various NLP tasks. Methodological strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of the current wave of experimentation are discussed. Finally, we provide guidelines for comprehensive reporting of prompt engineering–related studies to improve clarity and facilitate further research in the field. We aspire to furnish insights that will inform both researchers and users about the pivotal role of prompt engineering in optimizing the efficacy of LLMs. By gaining a thorough understanding of the current landscape of prompt engineering research, we can pinpoint areas warranting further investigation and development, thereby propelling the field of medical NLP forward.

Study Design

Our scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines for scoping reviews (available in Multimedia Appendix 1 ). In this review, we use terminology to denote emerging technical concepts that lack consensus definitions. We propose the following definitions based on previous use in the literature:

  • LLM: Object that models language and can be used to generate text by receiving large-scale language modeling pretraining (Luccioni and Rogers [ 6 ] define an arbitrary threshold at 1 billion tokens of training data). An LLM can be adapted to downstream tasks through transfer learning approaches such as fine-tuning or prompt-based techniques. Following the study of Thirunavukarasu et al [ 7 ] of models for the medical field, we include Bidirectional Encoder Representations From Transformers (BERT)–based and GPT-based models in this definition, although Zhao et al [ 8 ] place BERT models in a separate category.
  • Fine-tuning: Approach in which the weights of the pretrained LLM are retrained on new samples. The additional data can be labeled and designed to adapt the LLM to a new downstream task.
  • Prompt design (PD) [ 1 , 2 ]: Manually building a prompt (named manual prompt or hard prompt), tailored to guide the LLM toward resolving the task by simply predicting the most probable continuity of the prompt. The prompt is usually a set of task-specific instructions, occasionally featuring a few demonstrations of the task.
  • Prompt learning (PL) [ 3 ]: Manually building a prompt and passing it to an LLM, trained via the masked language modeling (MLM) objective, to predict masked tokens. The prompt often features masked tokens, over which the LLM makes predictions. Those are then projected as predictions for a new downstream task. This approach is also referred to as prompt-based learning.
  • Prompt tuning (PT) [ 9 ]: Refers to the LLM prompting where part or all the prompt is a trainable vectorial representation (known as continuous prompt or soft prompt) that is optimized with respect to the annotated instances.

Figure 1 illustrates the 4 approaches described above.

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Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Studies were included if they met the following criteria: focus on prompt engineering, involvement of at least 1 LLM, relevance to the medical field (biomedical or clinical), pertaining to text-based generation (excluding vision-related prompts), and not focusing on prompting for academic writing purposes. Furthermore, as most of the first studies about prompt engineering emerged in 2022 [ 2 ], we added the following constraint: the publication date should be later than 2021.

Screening Process

The initial set of papers retrieved from the searches underwent screening based on titles, abstracts, and keywords. The search strategy is described in Multimedia Appendix 2 . Screening was performed by 2 reviewers (JZ and MN), working in a double-blind process. Interannotator agreement was calculated, with conflicts resolved through discussion.

Data Synthesis

We extracted information on prompt paradigms (PD, PL, and PT), involved LLMs, data sets used, studied language, domain (biomedical or clinical), medical subfield (if any), mentioned prompt engineering techniques, computational complexity, baselines, relative performances, and key findings. Additionally, we extracted journal information and noted instances of PD or PL or PT terminology misuse. Details are available in Multimedia Appendix 3 . Finally, we compile a list of recommendations based on the positive or negative trends we identify from the selected papers.

Screening Results

The systematic search across sources yielded 398 papers. Following the removal of duplicates, 251 papers underwent screening based on title, abstract, and keywords, leading to the exclusion of 94 studies. During this first screening step, 33 conflicts were identified and resolved among the annotators, resulting in an interannotator agreement of 86.8% (n=218). Subsequently, 157 studies remained, and full-text copies were retrieved and thoroughly screened. This process culminated in the inclusion of a total of 114 papers in this scoping review. The detailed process of study selection is shown in Figure 2 . Among the selected papers, 13 are from clinical venues, 33 are from medical informatics sources, 31 are from computer science publications, and 4 are from other sources. Notably, 33 of them are preprints.

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Prompt Paradigms and Medical Subfields

Table 1 depicts the number of papers identified within each prompt paradigm along with their associated medical subfields. Some papers may simultaneously involve several (up to 2 in this review) prompt paradigms. Notably, PD emerged as the predominant category, with a total of 78 papers. These papers spanned across various medical fields, with a greater emphasis on clinical (including specialties) rather than biomedical disciplines. The screening yields 29 PL papers and 19 PT papers, with both paradigms maintaining a balanced distribution between biomedical and clinical domains. However, it is noteworthy that unlike PL and PT, PD encompassed a much broader spectrum of clinical specialties, with a particular interest in psychiatry.

Prompt paradigm and domain of the topicReferences

Biomedical (17)[ - ]

Medical licensing examination (12)[ - ]

Clinical (general) (15)[ - ]

Psychiatry (10)[ , - ]

Oncology (5)[ - ]

Cardiology (4)[ - ]

Ophthalmology (3)[ - ]

Neurology (3)[ , , ]

Orthopedics (2)[ , ]

Clinical trials (2)[ , ]

Intensive care (2)[ , ]

Geriatrics (2)[ , ]

Radiology (2)[ , ]

Nuclear medicine (1)[ ]

Hepatology (1)[ ]

Endocrinology (1)[ ]

Plastic surgery (1)[ ]

Gastroenterology (1)[ ]

Genetics (1)[ ]

Nursing (1)[ ]

Biomedical (13)[ - ]

Clinical (general) (15)[ , , - ]

Psychiatry (1)[ ]

Biomedical (9)[ , , , , , , , , ]

Clinical (general) (6)[ , , , - ]

Oncology (2)[ , ]

Psychiatry (1)[ ]

Medical insurance (1)[ ]

Terminology Use

In our review, the consistency of terminology use around prompt engineering was investigated, particularly concerning its 3 paradigms: PD, PL, and PT. Across the papers, we meticulously tracked instances where the terminology was applied differently to the definitions used in the literature and described in the introduction. Notably, PL was used to refer to PD 4 times [ 12 , 13 , 67 , 86 ] and PT once [ 119 ], while PT was used 5 times to describe PL [ 88 , 96 , 97 , 99 , 114 ] and twice for PD [ 23 , 43 ]. Terminology inconsistencies were identified in only 12 studies. Consequently, while there remains some degree of inconsistency, a significant majority of 102 papers adhered to the definitions identified as commonly used terminology.

Language of Study

Considering the latest developments in NLP research encompassing languages beyond English [ 124 ], reporting the language of study is crucial. Several papers do not explicitly state the language of study. In some cases, the language can be inferred from prompt illustrations or examples. In the least informative cases, only the data set of the study is disclosed, indirectly hinting at the language.

Table 2 illustrates the language distribution among the selected papers, noting whether languages are explicitly mentioned, implicitly inferred from prompt illustrations, or simply not stated but implied from the used data set. The language used in 2 papers [ 60 , 68 ] remains unknown.

Language and type of venueStated , n (%)Inferred , n (%)Not stated , n (%)Total, n (%)

All37 (32.5)48 (42.1)11 (9.6)96 (84.2)

Medical informatics16 (14)9 (7.9)2 (1.8)27 (23.7)

Computer science8 (7)18 (15.8)1 (0.9)27 (23.7)

Preprint9 (7.9)12 (10.5)5 (4.4)26 (22.8)

Clinical1 (0.9)8 (7)3 (2.6)12 (10.5)

Other3 (2.6)1 (0.9)0 (0)4 (3.5)

All18 (15.8)0 (0)0 (0)18 (15.8)

All3 (2.6)0 (0)0 (0)3 (2.6)

All3 (2.6)0 (0)0 (0)3 (2.6)

All2 (1.8)0 (0)0 (0)2 (1.8)

All2 (1.8)0 (0)0 (0)2 (1.8)

All2 (1.8)0 (0)0 (0)2 (1.8)

All2 (1.8)0 (0)0 (0)2 (1.8)

All0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)1 (0.9)

All1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)

All1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)

All1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)

All1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)

All1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)

All0 (0)0 (0)2 (1.8)2 (1.8)

a Stated in the paper.

b Inferred from prompt figures and examples.

c Inferred from the data set.

Notably, English dominates with 84.2% (n=96) of the selected papers, followed by Chinese at 15.7% (n=18). Then, the other languages are relatively rare, often appearing in studies featuring multiple languages. It is worth mentioning that languages besides English are usually explicitly stated, with the exception of a paper studying Korean [ 63 ]. In total, the language had to be inferred from prompt figures and examples in 48 papers, all in English.

Choice of LLMs

Given the diverse array of LLMs available, spanning general or medical, open-source or proprietary, and monolingual or multilingual models, alongside various architectural configurations (encoder, decoder, or both), our study investigates LLM selection across prompt paradigms.

Figure 3 outlines prevalent LLMs categorized by prompt paradigms, though it is not exhaustive and only includes commonly encountered architectures. For example, while encoder-decoder models are absent in PT in Figure 3 , there are a few instances where they are used [ 95 , 110 ].

ChatGPT’s popularity in PD is unsurprising, given its accessibility. Models from Google, PaLM, and Bard (subsequently rebranded Gemini), all falling under closed models, are also prominent. Among open-source instruct-based LLMs, fewer are used, notably those based on LLaMA-2 with 7 occurrences.

In PL, encoder models, those following the BERT architecture, dominate, covering both general and specialized variants. There are occasional uses of decoder models like GPT-2 in PL-based tasks [ 103 , 105 ]. PT involves all model types, with a preference toward encoders. Further details on the models used are available in Multimedia Appendix 3 .

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Topic Domain and NLP Task Trends

Figure 4 [ 16 , 20 , 26 , 41 , 47 , 88 - 123 ] illustrates the target tasks used in the PL and PT papers. PL-focused papers predominantly address classification-based tasks such as text classification, named entity recognition, and relation extraction, with text classification being particularly prominent. This aligns with the nature of PL, which centers around an MLM objective. Among other tasks, a study based on text generation [ 111 ] makes use of PL to predict masked tokens from partial patient records, aiming to generate synthetic electronic health records. Conversely, PT papers tend to exhibit a slightly broader range of tasks.

Figure 5 [ 10 - 87 ] presents the same analysis for PD-based papers. Unlike PL and PT, a prominent trend observed is that several studies focus on real-world board examinations. Notably, these studies predominantly center around tasks involving answering multiple-choice questions (MCQs). It is worth noting that although MCQs might be cast as a classification task, in practice, it is cast as a generation task using causal LLMs. It is interesting to note that none of the selected PD papers propose the task of entity linking, despite the clear opportunity of leveraging LLMs’ in-context learning ability for medical entity linking.

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Prompt Engineering Techniques

We extensively investigated the used prompt techniques: among PD papers, 49 studies used zero-shot prompting, 23 used few-shot prompting, and 10 used one-shot prompting. Few shot tends to outperform in MCQs, but its advantage over zero shot is inconsistent in other NLP tasks. We propose a comprehensive summary of the existing techniques in Table 3 .

As shown in Table 3 , chain-of-thought (CoT) prompting [ 2 ] stands as the most common technique, followed by the persona pattern. In medical MCQs, various attempts with CoT can lead to different reasoning pathways and answers. Hence, to improve accuracy, 2 studies [ 19 , 20 ] used self-consistency, a method involving using multiple CoT prompts and selecting the most frequently occurring answer through voting.

Flipped interaction was used for simulation tasks, such as doctor-patient engagement [ 60 ] or to provide clinical training to medical students [ 81 ]. Emotion enhancement was applied in mental health contexts [ 58 , 60 ], allowing the LLM to produce emotional statements.

More innovative prompt engineering techniques include k-nearest neighbor few-shot prompting [ 19 ] and pseudoclassification prompting [ 78 ]. The former uses the k-nearest neighbor algorithm to select the k-closest examples in a large annotated data set based on the input before using them in the prompt, and the latter presents to the LLMs all possible labels, asking the model to respond with a binary output for each provided label. Despite its potential, tree-of-thoughts pattern use was limited, with only 1 instance found among the papers [ 77 ].

Prompt techniquesDescriptionPrompt template examplesCount papersReferences
Chain-of-thought (CoT)Asking the large language model (LLM) to provide the reasoning before answering. 17[ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ]
Persona (role-defining)Assigning the LLM a particular role to accomplish a task related to that role. 10[ , , , , - , , , ]
Ensemble promptingUsing multiple independent prompts to answer the same question. The final output is decided by majority vote. 4[ , , , ]
Scene-definingSimulating a scene related to the addressed task. 3[ , , ]
Prompt-chainingSeparating a task into multiple subtasks, each resolved with a prompt. 3[ , , ]
Flipped interactionMaking the LLM take the lead (eg, asking questions) and the user interacting with it passively. 2[ , ]
Emotion enhancementMaking the LLM more or less expressing human-like emotions. 2[ , ]
Prompt refinementUsing the LLM to refine the prompt such as translating the prompt or rephrasing it. 2[ , ]
Retrieval-augmented generationCombining an information retrieval component with a generative LLM. Snippets extracted from documents are fed into the system along with the input prompt to generate an enriched output. 2[ , ]
Self-consistency (CoT ensembling)Ensemble prompting each prompt using CoT. Ideal if a problem has many possible reasoning paths. 2[ , ]

Emerging Trends

Figure 6 illustrates a chronological polar pie chart of selected papers and their citation connections, identifying five highly cited papers: (1) Agrawal et al [ 40 ] demonstrate GPT-3’s clinical task performance, especially in named entity recognition and relation extraction through thorough PD. (2) Kung et al [ 36 ] evaluate ChatGPT’s (GPT-3.5) ability for the United States Medical Licensing Examination, shortly after the public release of ChatGPT. (3) Singhal et al [ 20 ] introduce MultiMedQA and HealthSearchQA benchmarks. The paper also presents instruction PT for domain alignment, a novel paradigm that entails learning a soft prompt prior to the LLM general instruction, which is usually written as a hard prompt. Using this approach on FlanPaLM led to the development of Med-PaLM, improving question answering over FlanPaLM. (4) Nori et al [ 27 ] evaluate GPT-4 on the United States Medical Licensing Examination and MultiMedQA, surpassing previous state-of-the-art results, including GPT-3.5 and Med-PaLM. (5) Luo et al [ 26 ] release BioGPT, a fine-tuned variant of GPT-2 for biomedical tasks, achieving state-of-the-art results on 6 biomedical NLP tasks with suffix-based PT.

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Trends in PD

As shown in Figure 6 , the PD paradigm presents multiple trends: all papers disseminated in clinical-based venues, and 27 of 33 (82%) of the encountered preprints adhere to this paradigm. Furthermore, we observed a significant focus on work involving frozen LLMs within the PD domain. This trend is likely due to the frequent use of ChatGPT in 74 instances, as depicted in Figure 3 , despite OpenAI offering fine-tuning capabilities for the model. It is worth mentioning that 46 of 78 (59%) PD papers do not include any baseline, including human comparison. This gap will be further explored in a subsequent section.

Trends in PL and PT

Among PL and PT papers, computer science and medical informatics are the most prevalent venues. Although PL has drawn attention to the idea of adapting the MLM objective to downstream tasks without needing to further update the LLM weights, many studies still opt to fine-tune their LLMs, with a nonnegligible amount of them evaluating in few-shot settings [ 89 , 92 , 93 , 112 ]. Unlike PD, PL and PT usually include a baseline, with it often being a traditional fine-tuning version of the evaluated model [ 92 , 93 , 95 ] to compare it against novel prompt-based paradigms. These studies came to a common conclusion, being that PL is a promising alternative to traditional fine-tuning in few-shot scenarios.

There are 2 ways for conducting PL: one involves filling in the blanks within a text, known as cloze prompts, while the other consists in predicting masked tokens at the end of the sequence, referred to as prefix prompts. A distinct advantage of the latter approach is its compatibility with autoregressive models, as they exclusively predict the appended masks. Among the 29 PL papers, 21 (72%) of them propose cloze prompts, while 15 (52%) use prefix prompting. The involved NLP tasks are well-distributed across these 2 prompt patterns. Another crucial component of PL is the verbalizer. As PL revolves around predicting masked tokens, classification-based tasks require mapping manually selected relevant tokens to each class (manual verbalizer). Alternatively, some studies propose a soft verbalizer, akin to soft prompts, which automatically determines the most relevant token embedding for each label through training. Of the 29 PL papers selected, 16 (55%) studies explicitly mention the use of a manual verbalizer, while 2 explored both verbalizers to assess performance [ 101 , 110 ]. Only 1 exclusively used a soft verbalizer [ 89 ]. Another study does not use any verbalizer, as it focuses on generating synthetic data by filling the blanks [ 111 ]. Notably, 8 (28%) studies did not report any mention regarding the verbalizer methodology.

Hard prompts, which are related to PD and PL, involve manually crafted prompts. Regarding PT, optimal prompts are attainable through soft prompting (ie, prompts that are trained on a training data set), yet, determining the appropriate soft prompt length remains obscure. In total, 5 of 19 (26%) PT studies tried various soft prompt lengths and reported their corresponding performances [ 26 , 105 , 118 , 119 , 122 ]. While there is no definitive optimal prompt length, a trend emerges: optimal soft prompt length typically exceeds 10 tokens. Surprisingly, 8 (42%) papers omit reporting the soft prompt length. Regarding the placement of soft prompts in relation to the input and the mask, consensus is lacking. A total of 5 (26%) papers prepend the soft prompt at the input’s outset, while 4 (21%) append it as a suffix. One paper uses both strategies in a single prompt template [ 95 ]. Some innovative methods involve inserting a single soft prompt for each entity that needs to be identified in entity-linking tasks or using token-wise soft prompts, where each token in the textual input is accompanied by a distinct soft prompt. The position of soft prompts remains unreported in 5 (26%) studies. Finally, according to the 6 (32%) studies that used mixed prompts [ 90 , 91 , 95 , 101 , 105 , 110 ] (a combination of hard and soft prompts), it has consistently been reported that mixed prompts lead to a better performance than hard prompts alone.

Baseline Comparison

Only 62 of the screened papers reported comparisons to established baselines. These include traditional deep learning approaches (eg, fine-tuning approach), classical machine learning algorithms (eg, logistic regression), naive systems (eg, majority class), or human annotation. The remaining papers solely explored prompt-related solutions, without including baseline comparisons. Tables 4 - 6 traces the presence of a nonprompt baseline among different prompt categories ( Table 4 ), papers sources ( Table 5 ), and NLP tasks addressed ( Table 6 ).

Prompt categoryNo baseline, n (%)Higher, n (%)Similar, n (%)Lower, n (%)Total, n (%)
Prompt design48 (42.1)13 (11.4)4 (3.5)13 (11.4)78 (68.4)
Prompt learning5 (4.4)19 (16.7)3 (2.6)2 (1.8)29 (25.4)
Prompt tuning3 (2.6)11 (9.6)2 (1.8)3 (2.6)19 (16.7)

a Higher or lower indicates that the performance of the proposed prompt-based approach is higher or lower than the baseline.

Type of venueNo baseline, n (%)Higher, n (%)Similar, n (%)Lower, n (%)Total, n (%)
Medical informatics13 (11.4)16 (14)2 (1.8)2 (1.8)33 (28.9)
Computer science7 (6.1)12 (10.5)3 (2.6)9 (7.9)31 (27.2)
Preprint21 (18.4)6 (5.3)1 (0.9)5 (4.4)33 (28.9)
Clinical13 (11.4)0 (0)0 (0)0 (0)13 (11.4)
Other1 (0.9)2 (1.8)0 (0)1 (0.9)4 (3.5)
NLP taskNo baseline, n (%)Higher, n (%)Similar, n (%)Lower, n (%)Total, n (%)
Text classification13 (11.4)18 (15.8)4 (3.5)11 (9.6)46 (40.4)
Question answering13 (11.4)3 (2.6)1 (0.9)2 (1.8)19 (16.7)
Relation extraction3 (2.6)10 (8.8)0 (0)3 (2.6)16 (14)
Information extraction10 (8.8)3 (2.6)0 (0)2 (1.8)15 (13.2)
Multiple-choice question10 (8.8)3 (2.6)1 (0.9)1 (0.9)15 (13.2)
Named entity recognition4 (3.5)5 (4.4)1 (0.9)5 (4.4)15 (13.2)
Text summarization7 (6.1)3 (2.6)0 (0)1 (0.9)11 (9.6)
Reasoning5 (4.4)3 (2.6)0 (0)1 (0.9)9 (7.9)
Generation5 (4.4)2 (1.8)0 (0)1 (0.9)8 (7)
Entity linking0 (0)3 (2.6)0 (0)0 (0)3 (2.6)
Coreference resolution1 (0.9)1 (0.9)0 (0)1 (0.9)3 (2.6)
Decision support2 (1.8)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)3 (2.6)
Conversational3 (2.6)0 (0)0 (0)0 (0)3 (2.6)
Text simplification1 (0.9)0 (0)0 (0)1 (0.9)2 (1.8)

a NLP: natural language processing.

b Higher or lower indicates that the performance of the proposed prompt-based approach is higher or lower than the baseline.

Nonprompt-related baselines are often featured in studies focused on PL and PT but not PD. Additionally, PL and PT have a tendency to perform better than their respective reported baselines, PD tends to report less conclusive results. More specifically, among the 22 papers using either PL or PT with an identical fine-tuned model as a baseline, 17 indicate superior performance with the prompt-based approach, 3 observed comparable performance, and 2 studies noted inferior performance.

Significantly, papers from computer science venues tend to include more state-of-the-art baselines than those from medical informatics and clinical venues. Specifically, all 13 papers reviewed from clinical venues did not use any nonprompt baselines. Furthermore, there appears to be no consistent link between the type of NLP tasks and the omission of baselines, indicating that the decision to include baselines is more influenced by the evaluation methodology than by feasibility.

Prompt Optimization

Numerous studies in the literature highlight the few-shot learning capabilities of LLMs, often referred to as “few-shot prompting,” wherein they demonstrate proficiency in executing tasks with minimal demonstrations provided, typically through text prompts. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the annotation cost associated with such frameworks might extend beyond the few annotated demonstrations within the prompt. Many studies claiming to explore few-shot or zero-shot learning through prompt engineering rely on extensive annotated validation data sets to refine PD and formulation. This is, for example, the case in the paper that popularized the term “few-shot learning” [ 1 ]. Among the 45 analyzed papers concentrating on few-shot or zero-shot learning, 5 explicitly detail the optimization of prompt formulation using extensive validation data sets. Conversely, 18 of these papers either do not engage in prompt optimization or test various prompts and document all results. Notably, 22 papers present results using only 1 prompt choice, without clarifying whether this choice was made thanks to additional validation data sets.

Summary of the Findings

This scoping review aimed to map the current landscape of medical prompt engineering, identifying key themes, gaps, and trends within the existing literature. The primary findings of this study reveal a greater prevalence of PD over PL and PT, with ChatGPT dominating the PD domain. Additionally, many studies omit nonprompt-based baselines, do not specify the language of study, or exhibit a lack of consensus in PL (prefix vs cloze prompt) and PT settings (soft prompt lengths and positions). English is notably dominant as the language of study. These findings suggest that while the field is emerging, there is a pressing need for improved research practices.

Costs, Infrastructure, and LLMs in Clinical Settings

Prompt engineering techniques enable competitive performance in scenarios with limited or no resources as well as in environments with low-cost computing infrastructure. As hospital data and infrastructure are often found in this scenario, these approaches hold great promise in the clinical field. Figure 6 shows the absence of PL- and PT-related works in clinical journals. This trend may stem from the widespread accessibility of ChatGPT, favoring PD-focused investigations. Despite efforts like OpenPrompt [ 125 ] to facilitate PL and PT works, the programming barrier likely deters clinical practitioners. Surprisingly, 7 papers use ChatGPT with sensitive clinical data. Despite the recent availability of ChatGPT Enterprise in GPT-4 for secure data handling, it is apparent that most of these studies have not used this feature since they used GPT-3.5. Limited use of local LLMs, especially LLaMA-based, suggests a need for their increased adoption in future clinical PD studies. The lack of local LLMs may be due to clinicians’ limited computational infrastructure.

Prompt Engineering Techniques Effectiveness in Medical Research

In documented prompt engineering techniques, the effectiveness of few-shot prompting compared to zero shot varies by task and scenario. However, CoT shows superior reasoning performance, compelling LLMs to present reasoning pathways and consistently outperforming zero-shot and few-shot methods across PD studies. Its ensemble-based variant, self-consistency, consistently outperforms CoT. Despite the persona pattern’s frequent use, there is a lack of ablation studies on its impact on medical task performance, with only 1 paper reporting negligible improvement [ 61 ]. Prompt engineering is an emerging field of study that still needs to prove its efficacy. However, almost half of the papers focused only on prompt engineering and failed to report any nonprompt-related baseline performance, despite the availability of such baselines for the addressed NLP tasks. On the whole, the results are far from being systematically in favor of LLM-based methods, greatly attenuating the impression of a technological breakthrough that is generally commented on. Selecting a baseline remains a necessary step toward understanding the actual impact of prompt engineering.

Bender Rule

Regarding the languages, while Table 2 shows the dominance of English in medical literature, many papers studying English fail to explicitly mention the language of study. This oversight is more prevalent in computer science and clinical venues, whereas medical informatics exhibits a more favorable trend, as validated by a chi-square test yielding a P value of .02 (Table S1 in Multimedia Appendix 2 ). Notably, languages such as Chinese are consistently mentioned across the 18 selected papers. However, the Bender rule, namely “always name the language(s) you are working on,” seems to be well respected for languages other than English. This finding has already been documented for NLP research in general [ 126 ].

Fine-Tuning Versus Prompt-Based Approaches

While traditional LLM fine-tuning remains a viable method for various NLP tasks, PL and PT are competitive alternatives to fine-tuning, particularly in resource-constrained and low computational scenarios. PL, leveraging predefined prompts to guide model behavior, offers an efficient approach in low-to-no resource environments. Conversely, PT emerges as a viable solution in low computational scenarios, as it requires substantially fewer trainable parameters compared to traditional fine-tuning approaches. Since both prompt-based approaches do not require the LLM to be further trained, they are less prone to catastrophic forgetting [ 127 ].

Recommendations for Future Medical Prompt–Based Studies

For future research in prompt engineering, we propose several recommendations aimed at improving research quality, reporting, and reproducibility. From this review, we identified several trends such as the computational advantages or the lack of evaluations on baselines with a lack of ablation studies to evaluate the performance of the prompting strategies. Some studies do not clearly mention the prompt engineering choices they made. For instance, in PL, choices range from using cloze to prefix prompting and from using manual to soft verbalizer. Similarly, PT is characterized by configurations of soft prompts, such as the length and the positions. To clarify these distinctions and enhance methodological transparency and reproducibility in future research, we have developed reporting guidelines available in Textbox 1 . Adhering to these reporting guidelines will contribute to advancing prompt engineering methodologies and their practical applications in the medical field.

General reporting recommendations

  • For sensitive data, local large language models (LLMs) should be preferred to the ones that use an application programming interface or a web service.
  • The language of the study used should be explicitly stated.
  • The mention of whether the LLM undergoes fine-tuning should be made explicit.
  • The prompt optimization process and results should be documented to ensure transparency, whether it is through different tested manual prompts or through a validation data set.
  • The terms “few-shot,” “one-shot,” and “zero-shot” should not be used in settings where the prompts have been optimized on annotated examples.
  • Experiments should include baseline comparisons or at least mention existing results, particularly when data sets originate from previous medical challenges or benchmarks.

Specific to prompt learning and prompt tuning

  • Concepts (such as prompt learning and prompt tuning) should be defined and used consistently with the consensus.
  • In prompt learning experiments, the verbalizer used (soft and hard) should be explicitly specified, or a clear justification should be provided if the verbalizer is omitted. Additionally, whether the prompt template follows the cloze or the prefix format should be mentioned.
  • In prompt tuning experiments, authors should provide details on soft prompt positions, length, and any variations tested, such as incorporating hard or mixed prompts, as part of the ablation study.

Limitations

A limitation was the large number of papers retrieved during the initial search, which was addressed by limiting the search scope to titles, abstracts, and keywords. Furthermore, since some studies may perform prompt engineering techniques without mentioning any of the 4 prompt-related expressions used in the queries, they might be missed by our searches.

Conclusions

Medical prompt engineering is an emerging field with significant potential for enhancing clinical applications, particularly in resource-constrained environments. Despite the promising capabilities demonstrated, there is a pressing need for standardized research practices and comprehensive reporting to ensure methodological transparency and reproducibility. Consistent evaluation against nonprompt-based baselines, prompt optimization documentation, and prompt settings reporting will be crucial for advancing the field. We hope that a better adherence to the recommended guidelines, in Textbox 1 , will improve our understanding of prompt engineering and enhance the capabilities of LLMs in health care.

Acknowledgments

JZ is financed by the NCCR Evolving Language, a National Centre of Competence in Research, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant # 51NF40_180888).

Authors' Contributions

JZ and MN performed the screening and data extraction of the papers and synthesized the findings. AN and XT supervised MN. MB and CL supervised JZ. JZ and MN wrote the manuscript with support from MB, AN, XT, and CL. All authors contributed to the analysis of the results. CL conceived the original idea.

Conflicts of Interest

CL is the editor-in-chief of JMIR Medical Informatics . All other authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist.

Search strategy and statistical analysis.

Reading notes and details of the reviewed papers.

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Abbreviations

Bidirectional Encoder Representations From Transformers
chain-of-thought
large language model
multiple-choice question
masked language modeling
natural language processing
prompt design
prompt learning
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews
prompt tuning

Edited by T de Azevedo Cardoso; submitted 14.05.24; peer-reviewed by B Bhasuran, D Hu, A Jain; comments to author 03.07.24; revised version received 09.07.24; accepted 22.07.24; published 10.09.24.

©Jamil Zaghir, Marco Naguib, Mina Bjelogrlic, Aurélie Névéol, Xavier Tannier, Christian Lovis. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 10.09.2024.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (ISSN 1438-8871), is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

749 Medical Research Topics & Interesting Ideas

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Medical research topics encompass a wide range of critical areas in healthcare, including disease prevention, treatment, and understanding underlying mechanisms. They range from studying intricate molecular pathways to large-scale epidemiological surveys. Current hot topics include genomics, personalized medicine, and telehealth advancements driven by technological progress. In light of the recent pandemic, infectious disease research, including vaccine development, has garnered significant attention. Furthermore, the role of mental health in healthcare is being intensely studied. Research into healthcare disparities also addresses socioeconomic issues within medical practice. In essence, medical research topics embody the multidisciplinary and dynamic nature of modern health science.

Good Medical Research Topics

  • Exploring the Impact of Nutrition on Cognitive Development in Children
  • Roles of Telemedicine in Bridging the Health Care Gap in Rural Areas
  • Genetic Markers and Their Significance in Personalized Medicine
  • Effects of Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Mental Health Consequences of Chronic Sleep Deprivation
  • New Strategies for Organ Transplantation and Rejection Prevention
  • Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Concussions on Professional Athletes
  • Innovations in Artificial Intelligence for Early Disease Detection
  • Holistic Approaches to Pain Management: The Future of Analgesics?
  • Roles of Gut Microbiota in Obesity: The Next Frontier
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Genome Editing Using CRISPR-Cas9 Technology
  • Psychological Effects of Prolonged Isolation: Lessons From Space Travel
  • Innovations in Prosthetics: The Intersection of Biology and Technology
  • Harnessing Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine: Current Progress and Challenges
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders: Advances in Early Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Nanobiotechnology: Unraveling New Horizons in Cancer Treatment
  • Influence of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health
  • Cellular Senescence: Unlocking the Secrets of Aging
  • The Role of Epigenetics in Neurodegenerative Disorders
  • Vaping and E-Cigarettes: A New Generation of Nicotine Addiction
  • Advancements in Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques for Mental Disorders

Medical Research Topics & Interesting Ideas

Easy Medical Research Topics

  • Climate Change and Its Impact on Respiratory Health
  • The Role of Hygiene Hypothesis in Allergic Diseases
  • Tick-Borne Diseases in the Era of Global Warming
  • Cellular Mechanisms in Heart Disease: An Update
  • Microplastics: An Emerging Threat to Human Health
  • Advancements in Gene Therapy for Hemophilia
  • The Impact of Antibiotic Resistance on Global Health
  • Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Pain Management
  • Innovations in Preventing Maternal Mortality in Developing Countries
  • The Role of Microbiome in Immune System Regulation
  • Unveiling the Mysteries of the Brain: The Promise of Connectomics
  • Advances in 3D Bioprinting for Tissue Engineering
  • Evolution of HIV/AIDS Treatment: From AZT to Modern Therapies
  • Understanding the Biochemistry of Addiction
  • Links Between Sedentary Lifestyle and Mental Health Disorders
  • The Impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Mental Health
  • AI and Machine Learning in Predictive Health Analytics
  • Roles of Meditation in Stress Management: A Neurobiological Perspective
  • Chronic Inflammation and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Health
  • Therapeutic Potential of Peptides in Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Impacts of Air Pollution on Cognitive Function
  • Molecular Mechanisms Behind Gluten Intolerance

Interesting Medical Research Topics

  • Application of Machine Learning in Radiology: Progress and Prospects
  • Understanding Neuromuscular Diseases: Current Research and Future Directions
  • Telehealth During Pandemics: Lessons From COVID-19
  • Health Risks Associated With Prolonged Exposure to Blue Light
  • Biodegradable Implants and Their Impact on Orthopedic Medicine
  • Harnessing Big Data for Public Health Improvements
  • Role of Endocrine Disruptors in Obesity Epidemic
  • Potential Therapeutic Use of Cannabinoids in Neurological Disorders
  • Regulating CRISPR Gene-Editing: Ethical and Legal Issues
  • Exploring Links Between Gut Health and Mental Health
  • Understanding Molecular Mechanisms of Autoimmune Disorders
  • Unraveling the Complexities of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • The Impact of Music Therapy on Neurological Disorders
  • Roles of Oxidative Stress in Aging and Disease
  • Therapeutic Potential of Ketogenic Diets in Neurodegenerative Disorders
  • The Influence of Green Spaces on Public Health
  • Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery: Advancements and Challenges
  • Biological Clocks and Their Role in Disease Processes
  • The Promise of Liquid Biopsy in Cancer Detection and Management
  • Nutritional Psychiatry: Understanding the Diet-Mental Health Connection

Medical Research Paper Topics for High School

  • Understanding the Role of Genetics in Neurological Disorders
  • Effects of Digital Screen Exposure on Adolescent Mental Health
  • Investigating the Link Between Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
  • Progress in Personalized Medicine: Prospects and Challenges
  • Evaluating the Impact of Vaccination Programs on Public Health
  • Connections Between Sleep Deprivation and Academic Performance
  • Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Medical Diagnosis
  • Ethical Concerns Surrounding Genetic Engineering and Human Cloning
  • Influence of Climate Change on Disease-Spreading Patterns
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder: Genetic or Environmental Origin?
  • Implications of Antibiotic Resistance for Global Health
  • Nutritional Therapy’s Effectiveness in Chronic Disease Management
  • Stress Management Techniques: Their Impact on Student Health
  • Evolution of Telemedicine and Its Potential Benefits
  • Examination of the Microbiome’s Influence on Human Health
  • Depression in Adolescents: Causes and Prevention Strategies
  • Nanotechnology in Medicine: Potential Applications and Ethical Concerns
  • Exploring the Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Diseases
  • Exercise’s Roles in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Understanding the Science Behind Addiction: Drugs and Behavior

Medical Research Paper Topics for College Students

  • Exploring the Psychological Effects of Long-Term Solitude
  • Innovations in Cancer Treatment: Targeting Tumors Precisely
  • Identifying Genetic Markers in the Evolution of Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Unraveling the Complexities of Mental Health in the LGBT+ Community
  • Childhood Obesity: Measures for Prevention and Control
  • Studying the Impact of Stress on Cardiovascular Health
  • Neuroplasticity: Unveiling the Brain’s Ability to Adapt
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evaluating Early Intervention Strategies
  • Potential Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease: The Road Ahead
  • Unearthing Causes and Treatments of Rare Genetic Disorders
  • Nanotechnology: Prospects for Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Depression and Anxiety: A Comparative Study on Treatment Methods
  • Sleep Disorders: Understanding the Role of Melatonin
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Evaluating Probiotics as a Treatment Option
  • Dissecting the Role of Epigenetics in Cancer Development
  • Opioid Crisis: Proposing Effective Intervention Strategies
  • Pioneering Techniques in Organ Transplantation and Regeneration
  • Vaccines and Autism: Debunking Myths and Misinformation
  • Effects of Diet on Gut Microbiome and Overall Health
  • Unfolding Links Between Mental Health and Gut Microbiome
  • The Influence of Genomics on Personalized Medicine

Medical Research Paper Topics for University

  • Stem Cells: Potential in Regenerative Medicine
  • Telemedicine: Examining Its Effectiveness in Rural Healthcare
  • Occupational Health Risks Associated with Nanotechnology
  • Advances in HIV/AIDS Research: Prospects for a Cure
  • Examine Bioethics in Genetically Modified Organisms
  • Machine Learning in Medical Diagnosis: Promises and Challenges
  • Antimicrobial Resistance: Searching for New Antibiotics
  • Health Disparities: A Closer Look at Socioeconomic Factors
  • Addiction and Recovery: Analyzing Treatment Modalities
  • Zoonotic Diseases: Understanding the Human-Animal Disease Interface
  • Advances in Neuroimaging Techniques for Mental Disorders
  • Roles of Traditional Medicine in Modern Healthcare
  • Unpacking the Physiological Impacts of Aging
  • Trauma-Informed Care: Revolutionizing Mental Health Treatment
  • Health Consequences of Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping
  • Telehealth Innovations: Paving the Way for Accessible Healthcare
  • Advances in Non-Invasive Surgical Techniques
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Coping Strategies and Treatments
  • Mapping the Human Brain: Progress in Neuroimaging
  • Deconstructing Myths about Vaccines: An Educational Approach
  • Epidemics and Pandemics: Lessons Learned From History
  • Medical Robotics: The Future of Surgery

Medical Research Paper Topics for Master’s

  • Exploring the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Obesity on Adult Health
  • Advances in Regenerative Medicine: Current Practices and Future Potential
  • Mental Health Implications of Chronic Pain Management
  • Machine Learning Applications in Medical Diagnostics
  • Genetic Factors in Cardiovascular Disease: A Study of Hereditary Risk
  • Psychological Impacts of Terminal Illness Diagnosis on Patients
  • Developments in Telemedicine: Effectiveness in Rural and Remote Health Care
  • Epigenetic Influences on Disease Manifestation and Progression
  • Potential of Nanotechnology in Cancer Treatment
  • Alzheimer’s Disease: Exploring New Frontiers in Treatment Approaches
  • Opioid Addiction: Overcoming the Challenges in Treatment and Rehabilitation
  • Effectiveness of Alternative Medicine in Chronic Illness Management
  • Technological Innovations in Prosthetic Devices: Enhancing the Quality of Life
  • Analysis of Genetic Modification Techniques in Curing Inherited Diseases
  • Clinical Trials: Ethical Considerations and Transparency
  • Pandemics and Global Health: Learning From COVID-19
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder: Early Detection and Intervention Strategies
  • Vaccine Development: A Study in Speed, Efficiency, and Safety
  • Nutritional Psychiatry: Food as an Intervention in Mental Health
  • Stress and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Health
  • Pathophysiology of Autoimmune Diseases: An In-Depth Study

Medical Research Paper Topics for Ph.D.

  • Roles of Virtual Reality in Physical Rehabilitation
  • Artificial Intelligence in Predicting and Managing Epidemics
  • Precision Medicine: The Future of Individualized Treatment
  • DNA Sequencing Technologies: Impact on Personalized Medicine
  • Climate Change and Its Influence on Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Investigating the Links Between Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Diseases
  • Epigenetics and Aging: The Potential for Reversal
  • Bioethical Dilemmas in Gene Editing Technologies
  • Exploration of Stem Cell Therapies for Degenerative Diseases
  • Technological Advancements in Hearing Aid Devices
  • Neuroplasticity and Its Implications for Stroke Rehabilitation
  • Environmental Factors Contributing to Asthma Prevalence
  • Bionic Vision: Emerging Prospects and Challenges
  • Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques in Treating Depression
  • Microplastics in Human Health: Hidden Threats and Possible Solutions
  • Roles of Genomics in Predicting Disease Susceptibility
  • Influence of Biomedical Engineering on Patient Care
  • Emerging Antibiotic Resistance: Strategies for Mitigation
  • Clinical Implications of Artificial Organs: A Futuristic Study
  • Dementia: Investigating New Prevention Strategies
  • Neonatal Care: Advances and Challenges in Premature Birth Management

Medical Research Paper Topics About COVID-19

  • The Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines in Controlling the Disease
  • Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Respiratory Health
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Healthcare Workers
  • Antiviral Medications: Their Role in COVID-19 Treatment
  • Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 Variants: An Analysis
  • Effectiveness of Social Distancing Measures in Reducing COVID-19 Spread
  • The Relationship Between COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Complications
  • Effectiveness of COVID-19 Testing Strategies in Identifying Cases
  • Immunological Response to COVID-19 Infection: An Exploration
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Pediatric Populations: An Assessment
  • Inflammation and COVID-19 Severity: An Investigation
  • Efficacy of Monoclonal Antibodies in COVID-19 Treatment
  • COVID-19 and Pregnancy: Examining Maternal Health
  • Roles of T-Cell Immunity in COVID-19 Recovery: An Analysis
  • Effectiveness of Contact Tracing in Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks
  • Impacts of COVID-19 on Economic and Social Disparities: An Evaluation
  • Genetic Factors Influencing COVID-19 Susceptibility: An Exploration
  • Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Older Adults: An Assessment
  • COVID-19 and the Renal System: Analyzing the Impact
  • Cytokine Storm and COVID-19 Pathogenesis: Investigating the Role
  • Effects of COVID-19 on Olfactory and Gustatory Functions: An Analysis

Controversial Medical Research Paper Topics

  • Ethical Implications of Human Cloning: A Medical Perspective
  • Brain-Computer Interfaces: Potential Benefits and Risks
  • Examination of Genetic Engineering and Its Impact on Human Disease
  • Euthanasia Policies: Comparisons Across Different Countries
  • Stem Cell Research: Miracle Cure or Ethical Dilemma?
  • Prolonging Life With Artificial Intelligence: Possibilities and Problems
  • Animal Experimentation in Drug Discovery: Justifiable or Not?
  • Vaccination Controversies: Assessing the Anti-Vax Movement
  • Nanotechnology in Medicine: Exciting Innovation or Unforeseen Danger?
  • The Influence of Pharmaceutical Companies on Medical Research
  • The Controversy Surrounding the Use of Medical Marijuana
  • Artificial Organ Transplants: Future Prospects and Ethical Challenges
  • Exploring the Implications of CRISPR Gene Editing Technology
  • Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Moral and Ethical Considerations
  • Disparities in Medical Treatment: Examining Racial and Socioeconomic Factors
  • Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics: A New Frontier in Psychiatry?
  • Telemedicine and Patient Privacy: Potential Breaches and Solutions
  • Genetically Modified Foods: Health Marvel or Risky Business?
  • Mental Health Stigma in Healthcare: Addressing the Issue
  • Bioethics of Human Enhancement Technologies

Medical Research Paper Topics About Health

  • Impacts of Telemedicine on Rural Healthcare Accessibility
  • Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Predicting Disease Outbreaks
  • Examination of Genomic Medicine in Personalized Care
  • Comparative Analysis of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Utilizing Virtual Reality for Pain Management Therapy
  • Exploring Mental Health Benefits of Pet Therapy
  • Nutritional Genomics: Understanding the Diet-Gene Relationship
  • Vaccination Policies and Their Impact on Public Health
  • Aging Population and the Challenge of Geriatric Care
  • Microbiome Research: Its Impact on Digestive Health
  • Analyzing Nanotechnology Applications in Cancer Therapy
  • Influence of Sleep Disorders on Mental Health
  • Roles of Epigenetics in Understanding Human Disease
  • Utilizing Big Data in Health Research and Epidemiology
  • Impacts of Socioeconomic Factors on Community Health
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Genetic Engineering and Medicine
  • Advances in 3D Printing for Organ Transplants
  • Potential of Psychedelic Drugs in Treating Mental Disorders

Medical Research Paper Topics About Medicine

  • Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Potential of Artificial Intelligence
  • Unlocking the Mystery of the Human Microbiome
  • Advanced Gene Therapy: A Promising Treatment for Genetic Disorders
  • Stem Cell Research: Ethical Challenges and Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health Stigma: Societal Perceptions and Implications
  • Mitigating the Impact of Antibiotic Resistance
  • Pain Management: Exploration of Non-pharmacological Methods
  • New Horizons in Cancer Immunotherapy
  • Early Detection Strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Precision Medicine: Tailoring Treatment to Individual Genomes
  • Examining the Health Effects of Climate Change
  • Future of Telemedicine: Accessibility and Implications
  • Advancements in Prosthetics: Improving Mobility for Amputees
  • Impacts of Obesity on Cardiovascular Health
  • Innovations in Neonatal Care: Reducing Infant Mortality Rates
  • Potential Risks and Benefits of CRISPR Cas-9 Technology
  • Role of Sleep in Maintaining Mental Health
  • Exploring the Neuroscience of Addiction
  • Virtual Reality Applications in Pain Management
  • Immunological Insights into Autoimmune Diseases
  • Breakthroughs in Regenerative Medicine: A Look at Organ Bioengineering
  • Neuroplasticity: How Learning and Experience Change the Brain

Healthcare Research Paper Topics

  • Mitigating the Rise of Antibiotic Resistance in Healthcare
  • Emergence of Personalized Nutrition for Chronic Disease Prevention
  • Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Illnesses
  • Interplay between Mental Health and Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Obesity Epidemic: Biological and Social Factors
  • Developments in Immunotherapy for Autoimmune Disorders
  • Future of Bioinformatics in Personalized Medicine
  • Roles of Social Media in Healthcare Communication
  • Physical Activity and Its Impact on Cognitive Function
  • Importance of Health Literacy in Disease Prevention
  • Effects of Urbanization on Public Health
  • Advances in Neuroprosthetics: A Revolution in Rehabilitation
  • Impacts of Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Toxins
  • Connections Between Gut Health and Neurological Disorders
  • Investigation of the Human Virome and Disease
  • Maternal Health: Disparities and Strategies for Improvement
  • Genetic Basis of Rare Pediatric Diseases
  • Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace
  • Innovations in Wound Healing and Regenerative Medicine
  • Exploration of Bioethical Issues in Assisted Reproduction
  • Combatting the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases
  • The Role of Microplastics in Human Health

Public Health Research Paper Topics

  • Analysis of Obesity as a Public Health Concern
  • Influence of Mental Health on Community Well-Being
  • Roles of Vaccinations in Global Health Security
  • Impacts of Urbanization on Public Health
  • Advancements in HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategies
  • Environmental Factors and Asthma Prevalence
  • Assessing Health Disparities in Minority Communities
  • Childhood Vaccination Rates and Public Health Outcomes
  • Implications of Substance Abuse on Public Health
  • Chronic Disease Management in Low-Income Populations
  • Studying Effects of Air Pollution on Respiratory Diseases
  • Public Health Response to Zoonotic Diseases
  • Evaluating Food Insecurity as a Public Health Issue
  • Importance of Clean Water in Disease Prevention
  • Impacts of Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Maternal and Child Health in Developing Nations
  • Advancing Tobacco Control for Public Health Promotion
  • Occupational Health Hazards and Their Public Implications
  • Aging Population and Its Impact on Public Health Services
  • Influence of Physical Activity on Chronic Disease Prevention

Mental Health Research Paper Topics

  • Correlation Between Childhood Trauma and Adult Anxiety Disorders
  • Digital Age: Effects of Social Media on Adolescents’ Mental Health
  • Treatment Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Depression Management
  • Interplay of Genetics and Environment in Bipolar Disorder
  • Integration of Yoga and Mindfulness Practices in Psychotherapy
  • Roles of Nutrition in Optimizing Mental Health Outcomes
  • Machine Learning in Predicting Mental Health Disorders
  • Deciphering the Neurobiological Underpinnings of Schizophrenia
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Advances in Diagnostic Techniques
  • Connection Between Cardiovascular Diseases and Mental Health
  • Art Therapy: Analyzing Its Effectiveness in Mental Health Rehabilitation
  • De-Stigmatizing Mental Health: Strategies and Policies
  • Neurofeedback and its Application in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Phobia Treatment
  • Holistic Approaches to Mental Health: The Role of Physical Exercise
  • Exploring the Links Between Climate Change and Mental Health
  • Epigenetics and Its Influence on Mental Health Disorders
  • Implications of Sleep Disorders on Mental Health
  • Telemedicine and Remote Therapy: Their Efficacy in Mental Health Treatment
  • Neuroplasticity: The Brain’s Capacity to Recover From Mental Health Disorders
  • The Potential of Psychedelics in Treating Severe Mental Health Conditions

Medical Anatomy Research Paper Topics

  • Advances in Microscopic Analysis of Human Cells
  • Roles of Stem Cells in Tissue Regeneration
  • Genetic Influences on Skeletal Development
  • Neuroanatomy: The Complexity of the Human Brain
  • Vascular System: Understanding Diseases and Treatments
  • Ocular Anatomy: Progress in Retinal Disease Research
  • Musculoskeletal System: Exploring New Treatments for Osteoporosis
  • Innovation in Transplantation: A Look at Organ Engineering
  • Human Genetics: Tracing Ancestry through Mitochondrial DNA
  • Decoding the Human Immune System: The Anatomy of Defense
  • Modern Techniques in Anatomical Imaging
  • Evolutionary Influences on Human Anatomy
  • Gut Microbiota and Its Role in Digestive Health
  • The Human Heart: Anatomical Changes During Cardiovascular Disease
  • Skin: The Body’s First Line of Defense
  • Roles of Epigenetics in Organ Development and Function
  • Nervous System: Insights into Neural Regeneration
  • Respiratory System: New Insights Into Asthma and Allergies
  • Exploring the Interplay Between Anatomy and Psychology
  • The Complexity of the Endocrine System: Understanding Hormonal Imbalances

Biomedical Research Paper Topics

  • Exploring the Role of Genomics in Personalized Medicine
  • Impacts of Biomedical Nanotechnology on Drug Delivery
  • Neurobiological Insights into Mental Health Disorders
  • Biomechanics and Its Applications in Orthopedic Treatments
  • Unraveling the Mystery of Telomeres in Aging and Disease
  • Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cell Therapies and Beyond
  • Pioneering Research in Biomedical Imaging Techniques
  • Genetic Markers: Decoding Their Role in Predicting Disease
  • Harnessing the Power of Proteomics for Disease Detection
  • Metabolomics: A New Frontier in Biomedical Research
  • Tissue Engineering: A Biomedical Solution for Organ Transplants
  • Understanding the Biomedical Implications of Epigenetics
  • Nanobots: The Future of Minimally Invasive Surgery?
  • Roles of Biomedical Informatics in Healthcare Improvement
  • Importance of Translational Medicine in Clinical Applications
  • Genetic Engineering: Unleashing the Potential for Disease Eradication
  • Advances in Medical Robotics and Their Biomedical Implications
  • Biocompatibility of Implant Materials: A Biomedical Analysis
  • Bioethics in Biomedical Research: Navigating the Gray Areas
  • Unfolding the Role of Exosomes in Cell-Cell Communication

Medical Research Paper Topics on Bioethics

  • Ethical Implications of Gene Editing and Designer Babies
  • The Balance Between Medical Innovation and Human Experimentation
  • Investigating the Bioethics of End-of-Life Care: Right to Die or Duty to Live?
  • Cloning Technologies: A Journey Into Bioethical Boundaries
  • Mandatory Vaccinations: A Crossroads of Public Health and Personal Freedom
  • Equity in Health Care: The Ethics of Allocating Resources
  • Animal Testing: Weighing Scientific Progress Against Animal Rights
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Organ Transplantation: Consent, Allocation, and Transplant Tourism
  • Balancing Autonomy and Beneficence in Patient Care: Who Decides?
  • Ethics Behind Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis: Where Do We Draw the Line?
  • Consent in Medical Research: Assessing the Ethics of Deception
  • The Bioethics of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
  • Truth-Telling in Medicine: The Ethical Boundaries of Patient Information
  • Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Medicine: Protecting Minors’ Rights
  • Biobanks and Genetic Privacy: The Ethics of DNA Data Sharing
  • Medical Practitioner Burnout: An Ethical Examination of Workload and Patient Safety
  • Human Enhancement Technologies: Exploring the Ethics of Biological Superiority
  • Mental Health and Bioethics: The Ethics of Involuntary Treatment
  • Medical Refugees: A Bioethical Perspective on Cross-Border Care
  • Stem Cell Research: Bioethical Questions Around Source and Use
  • Ethical Challenges of Antimicrobial Resistance: Balancing Treatment and Prevention
  • Genetic Counselling: Examining the Bioethical Implications of Predictive Medicine

Medical Research Paper Topics on Cancer

  • Unveiling the Genetic Pathways Involved in Breast Cancer
  • Understanding Pancreatic Cancer: Current Research and Future Directions
  • Implications of Lifestyle Modifications on Prostate Cancer Risk
  • The Impact of Nutrition on Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Progression
  • Innovative Immunotherapy Approaches in the Treatment of Lung Cancer
  • Liquid Biopsy: A Revolutionary Tool for Early Detection of Cancer
  • Pediatric Oncology: Unique Challenges in Childhood Leukemia
  • Nanotechnology’s Role in Precision Medicine for Cancer Treatment
  • Environmental Factors Contribute to Skin Cancer: An Epidemiological Study
  • Chemotherapy Resistance in Ovarian Cancer: Mechanisms and Solutions
  • Metastasis Mystery: The Complex Journey of Cancer Cells
  • Advancements in Radiology: Increasing Effectiveness in Brain Cancer Treatment
  • Investigating the Role of Epigenetics in Oral Cancer
  • Mental Health Effects of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
  • The Evolution of Surgical Techniques in the Management of Thyroid Cancer
  • Immunomodulatory Effects of Gut Microbiota on Colorectal Cancer
  • Harnessing the Power of Stem Cell Research in Leukemia Treatment
  • Genetic Profiling: A Key to Personalized Breast Cancer Treatment
  • Esophageal Cancer and the Impact of Alcohol Consumption: A Comprehensive Review
  • The Interplay of Diet and Genetics in Gastric Cancer

Clinical Research Paper Topics

  • Unraveling the Impact of Antibiotic Resistance in Modern Healthcare
  • Investigation into Personalized Medicine and Its Potentials in Treating Cancer
  • Analysis of Cellular Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Overcoming Challenges in Pediatric Clinical Trials: Ensuring Ethical Practices
  • Interpreting Psychiatric Clinical Trials: Focus on Antidepressant Efficacy
  • Diving Deep into Genetic Counseling and its Role in Clinical Studies
  • Exploring the Impact of AI and Machine Learning on Clinical Trials
  • Unpacking the Complexities of Vaccine Development: A Case Study on COVID-19
  • Understanding the Role of Placebo Control Groups in Clinical Research
  • Evaluating the Effects of Diet and Nutrition on Chronic Diseases
  • Pioneering Breakthroughs in Gene Therapy Clinical Trials
  • Advancing Pain Management: Clinical Trials on Non-Opioid Analgesics
  • Roles of Telemedicine in Conducting Remote Clinical Trials
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Revolutionizing Oncology Clinical Trials
  • Dissecting the Clinical Trials Process: An Overview of Phases I-IV
  • Bridging the Gap: Integrating Traditional Medicine in Clinical Research
  • Precision Medicine in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Clinical Perspective
  • Stem Cell Therapy: Progress and Challenges in Clinical Trials
  • Controversies Surrounding Experimental Drug Use in Clinical Studies
  • Harnessing Big Data for Clinical Trials: Possibilities and Pitfalls
  • Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Research: Case Studies and Lessons Learned

Critical Care Research Paper Topics

  • The Role of High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation in Critical Care Management
  • Effectiveness of Targeted Temperature Management in Post-Cardiac Arrest Care
  • Utilizing Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection of Sepsis in Critical Care Patients
  • Impacts of Telemedicine on the Delivery of Critical Care Services in Rural Areas
  • Novel Approaches in Pain Management for Critically Ill Patients
  • Investigating the Efficacy of Probiotics in Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
  • The Role of Biomarkers in Predicting the Outcome of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
  • Exploring the Benefits of Multidisciplinary Team Approach in Critical Care Decision-Making
  • Enhancing Communication and Collaboration in Interprofessional Critical Care Teams
  • Optimizing Nutrition Support for Critically Ill Patients: Current Challenges and Future Directions
  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Early Mobilization in Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
  • The Role of Blood Transfusions in the Management of Critically Ill Patients
  • Investigating the Impact of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety
  • Exploring the Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Critical Care Settings
  • The Influence of Gender on Critical Care Outcomes: An In-Depth Analysis
  • Examining the Effectiveness of Non-Invasive Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure
  • The Role of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in Reducing Antibiotic Resistance in Critical Care Units
  • Novel Approaches in Delirium Management for Intensive Care Patients
  • Exploring the Benefits of Family-Centered Care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Setting
  • Evaluating the Use of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) in Critically Ill Patients

Pediatric Research Paper Topics

  • Investigating the Impact of Childhood Obesity on Cognitive Development
  • Analyzing the Efficacy of Vaccination Programs in Pediatric Populations
  • Examining the Role of Genetics in Childhood Asthma
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Early Intervention Programs for Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Premature Birth on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
  • Exploring Innovative Therapies for Pediatric Cancer Treatment
  • Investigating the Relationship Between Sleep Disorders and Academic Performance in Children
  • Analyzing the Psychological Impact of Bullying on Pediatric Mental Health
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pharmacological Interventions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Examining the Role of Nutrition in Promoting Healthy Growth and Development in Children
  • Assessing the Efficacy of Telemedicine in Delivering Pediatric Healthcare Services
  • Analyzing the Psychological Effects of Childhood Trauma on Emotional Well-being
  • Exploring the Role of Physical Activity in Reducing the Risk of Chronic Diseases in Children
  • Investigating the Impact of Screen Time on Cognitive Development in Pediatric Populations
  • Examining the Relationship Between Gut Microbiota and Pediatric Digestive Disorders
  • Analyzing the Genetic Basis of Rare Pediatric Diseases
  • Investigating the Role of Music Therapy in Managing Pain and Anxiety in Pediatric Patients
  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Early Intervention Programs for Developmental Delays in Children
  • Exploring the Impact of Air Pollution on Pediatric Respiratory Health
  • Evaluating the Efficacy of Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Pediatric Sleep Disorders

Dental Research Paper Topics

  • Oral Microbiome and Its Role in Dental Health
  • Impacts of Fluoride on Preventing Dental Caries
  • Innovative Techniques for Tooth Regeneration
  • Advancements in Dental Implant Technology
  • Effective Management of Dental Pain in Pediatric Patients
  • Roles of Genetics in Dental Anomalies and Disorders
  • Novel Approaches for Dental Anxiety and Phobia Management
  • The Impact of Nutrition on Oral Health
  • Emerging Trends in Orthodontic Treatment
  • Analysis of Dental Materials and Their Biocompatibility
  • Oral Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
  • Role of Stem Cells in Dental Tissue Engineering
  • Assessment and Management of Temporomandibular Disorders
  • Dental Caries Risk Assessment and Prevention Strategies
  • Exploring the Benefits of Laser Dentistry
  • Advancements in Digital Dentistry: 3D Printing and CAD/CAM Technology
  • Dental Trauma: Evaluation and Treatment Modalities
  • The Relationship Between Diabetes and Periodontal Disease
  • Emerging Techniques for Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy
  • Dental Pulp Regeneration: Current Concepts and Future Prospects
  • Biomarkers for Early Detection of Oral Cancer

Medical Dermatology Research Paper Topics

  • Investigating the Role of Melanocytes in Skin Pigmentation Disorders
  • Evaluating the Efficacy of Novel Topical Treatments for Psoriasis
  • Analyzing the Genetic Factors Contributing to Atopic Dermatitis
  • Assessing the Impact of Environmental Factors on Acne Vulgaris
  • Exploring the Mechanisms of Action of Biologic Therapies in the Management of Hidradenitis Suppurativa
  • Investigating the Relationship Between Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
  • Examining the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Vitiligo
  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Scars
  • Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Botulinum Toxin for the Management of Hyperhidrosis
  • Analyzing the Impact of Microbiota on the Pathogenesis of Rosacea
  • Investigating the Role of Mast Cells in Allergic Contact Dermatitis
  • Assessing the Use of Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis
  • Exploring the Genetic Predisposition to Basal Cell Carcinoma
  • Analyzing the Relationship between Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma and Lymphomatoid Papulosis
  • Investigating the Effect of Sunscreen on the Prevention of Skin Cancer
  • Evaluating the Efficacy of Topical Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Eczema
  • Assessing the Impact of Stress on the Pathogenesis of Alopecia Areata
  • Exploring the Role of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Management of Advanced Melanoma
  • Investigating the Genetic Variants Associated with Pemphigus Vulgaris
  • Analyzing the Link between Dermatomyositis and Internal Malignancies

Primary Care Research Paper Topics

  • The Impact of Telemedicine on Primary Care Accessibility and Patient Outcomes
  • Enhancing Chronic Disease Management in Primary Care Settings: Innovative Strategies and Technologies
  • Exploring the Effectiveness of Integrative Medicine in Primary Care Practice
  • Implementing Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care: Improving Mental Health Services
  • Optimizing Preventive Care in Primary Care Settings: Evidence-Based Approaches
  • Addressing Health Disparities in Primary Care: Strategies for Culturally Competent Care
  • Promoting Health Literacy in Primary Care: Strategies for Effective Patient Education
  • Innovative Approaches to Managing Complex Patients in Primary Care Settings
  • Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Primary Care: Improving Diagnosis and Treatment Decision-Making
  • Exploring the Relationship Between Primary Care Continuity and Patient Satisfaction
  • Enhancing Primary Care Provider-Patient Communication: Strategies for Effective Engagement
  • The Impact of Early Intervention Programs in Primary Care: Improving Childhood Health Outcomes
  • Addressing Burnout among Primary Care Physicians: Interventions and Support Systems
  • The Role of Primary Care in Screening and Early Detection of Chronic Diseases
  • Exploring the Use of Genomic Medicine in Primary Care: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Improving Primary Care Coordination with Community Health Resources
  • Enhancing Primary Care for Aging Populations: Geriatric-Specific Strategies and Interventions
  • Exploring the Use of Mobile Health Applications in Primary Care Practice
  • Improving Vaccination Rates in Primary Care Settings: Strategies and Barriers
  • Exploring the Effectiveness of Team-Based Care in Primary Care Settings
  • Enhancing Primary Care for Underserved Populations: Innovative Models and Interventions

Pharmaceutical Research Paper Topics

  • Investigating the Efficacy of Novel Antiviral Agents in Treating Respiratory Infections
  • Analyzing the Mechanism of Action of Antibiotics in Combating Drug-Resistant Bacteria
  • Long-Term Effects of Psychotropic Medications on Mental Health Outcomes
  • Examining the Role of Nanotechnology in Enhancing Drug Delivery Systems
  • Exploring the Potential of Herbal Medicines in Managing Chronic Diseases
  • Evaluating the Impact of Personalized Medicine on Cancer Treatment Strategies
  • Neuroprotective Properties of Novel Drug Compounds in Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Immunomodulatory Drugs
  • Assessing the Safety and Efficacy of Biosimilars in Treating Autoimmune Disorders
  • Exploring the Role of Gene Therapy in Treating Genetic Disorders
  • Investigating the Mechanisms of Drug Interactions and Drug-Drug Compatibility
  • Analyzing the Pharmacogenomics of Psychotropic Medications in Pediatric Patients
  • Assessing the Effects of Exercise on Drug Metabolism and Therapeutic Outcomes
  • Impacts of Drug Pricing Policies on Access to Essential Medications
  • Pharmacological Properties of Natural Products for Drug Discovery
  • Assessing the Efficacy of Novel Vaccines in Preventing Infectious Diseases
  • Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery and Development
  • Investigating the Influence of Drug Formulation on Bioavailability and Drug Absorption
  • Effects of Environmental Factors on Drug Response and Adverse Reactions
  • Exploring the Potential of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

Medical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

  • Traditional Healing Practices: Cultural Influences and Implications
  • Rituals’ Impact on Healthcare Decision-Making Processes in Different Cultures
  • Medical Tourism: Effects on Developing Countries’ Healthcare Systems
  • Social Construction of Mental Illness: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
  • Gender and Medicine: Exploring Cultural Intersections
  • End-of-Life Care and Palliative Medicine: Cultural Factors at Play
  • Ethical Implications of Cultural Relativism in Medical Anthropology
  • Globalization and Traditional Medicine: Examining Cultural Effects
  • Social Networks and Health-Seeking Behavior Among Immigrant Communities
  • Healing Rituals in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Cultural Significance
  • Cultural Perceptions and Practices of Alternative Medicine in Western Societies
  • Traditional Birth Attendants: Impact on Maternal and Child Health Outcomes
  • Cultural Beliefs and Practices Related to Infectious Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Body Image and Eating Disorders: Cultural Perspectives in Western Societies
  • Religion’s Role in Health-Seeking Behavior and Medical Decision-Making
  • Understanding the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Healthcare Access and Disparities
  • Exploring the Influence of Culture on Attitudes Toward Vaccinations and Immunizations
  • Investigating the Role of Cultural Practices in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases
  • Examining the Cultural Factors Affecting Mental Health Services in Minority Communities
  • Analyzing the Impact of Colonialism on Indigenous Health and Healing Practices
  • Unraveling the Cultural Perceptions of Disability and Its Impact on Healthcare Services

Paramedic Research Paper Topics

  • Enhancing Paramedic Response: Investigating the Effectiveness of Advanced Techniques
  • Paramedics as Key Players in Early Stroke Recognition and Intervention
  • Telemedicine: Revolutionizing Paramedic Care in Remote Areas
  • Prehospital Trauma Care Protocols: Evaluating Paramedic Implementation
  • Preventing Chronic Diseases: Examining Paramedic-Led Community Health Initiatives
  • Paramedic-Managed Mobile Health Units: Bridging Gaps in Underserved Communities
  • Crisis Intervention and Mental Health Support: Exploring the Role of Paramedics
  • Point-of-Care Ultrasound: Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment by Paramedics
  • Paramedic Education Programs: Impact on Patient Outcomes and Safety
  • CPR Techniques by Paramedics: Enhancing Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Response
  • Paramedics in Disaster Response: Challenges and Solutions
  • Community-Based Primary Care Services: Leveraging the Role of Paramedics
  • Paramedic-Administered Naloxone: Overdose Reversal Strategies
  • Pediatric Emergency Care: The Crucial Role of Paramedics
  • Intranasal Medications in Emergency Situations: Paramedic-Administered Approaches
  • Prehospital Management of Acute Stroke: Harnessing Paramedic Expertise
  • Paramedic-Led Rehabilitation Services: Improving Patient Recovery
  • Mobile Stroke Units: Revolutionizing Paramedic-Led Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Paramedic-Administered Sedation Protocols: Ensuring Effective Emergency Care
  • Cardiac Emergencies: Paramedic Role in Prehospital Management
  • Community Paramedicine Programs: Reducing Hospital Readmissions Through Medical Surgery Research Paper Topics

Medical Surgery Research Paper Topics

  • Advanced Techniques in Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgery
  • Novel Approaches for Neurological Surgery in Pediatric Patients
  • Innovative Robotic-Assisted Surgical Procedures in Cardiac Medicine
  • Efficacy of Gene Therapy in Regenerative Plastic Surgery
  • Optimizing Surgical Outcomes through Precision Medicine
  • Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Surgical Decision-making
  • Enhancing Postoperative Recovery With Multimodal Pain Management Strategies
  • Advancements in Transplantation Surgery: Focus on Organ Preservation Techniques
  • Investigating the Impact of Virtual Reality Simulation on Surgical Training
  • Emerging Trends in Bariatric Surgery for Obesity Management
  • Roles of 3D Printing in Customized Implant Manufacturing for Maxillofacial Reconstruction
  • Harnessing Nanotechnology for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Surgery
  • Novel Surgical Approaches for Functional Restoration in Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Examining the Effectiveness of Biofeedback Techniques in Minimizing Surgical Complications
  • Improving Surgical Outcomes in Geriatric Patients through Comprehensive Preoperative Assessment
  • Advancements in Laser Surgery for Ophthalmic Disorders
  • Innovative Techniques for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation in Neurosurgery
  • Robotic-Assisted Surgical Interventions for Gynecological Malignancies
  • Integrating Augmented Reality in Surgical Navigation Systems
  • Novel Strategies for Wound Healing and Scar Management After Plastic Surgery
  • Investigating the Role of Machine Learning Algorithms in Surgical Risk Prediction
  • Advancements in Tissue Engineering for Organ Replacement in Transplant Surgery

Medical Radiology Research Paper Topics

  • Advancements in Diagnostic Imaging Techniques for Early Cancer Detection
  • Radiology’s Roles in Assessing Neurological Disorders: A Comprehensive Review
  • Exploring the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging Analysis
  • Comparative Study of Imaging Modalities for Cardiovascular Disease Evaluation
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Radiological Intervention in Pain Management
  • The Impact of Radiology on Improving Surgical Outcomes
  • Novel Approaches in Imaging Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Unraveling the Potential of Radiomics in Predicting Tumor Response to Therapy
  • Radiology-Guided Minimally Invasive Interventions: Revolutionizing Patient Care
  • Assessing the Role of Imaging in Sports-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries
  • The Future of Radiology: Advancements in 3D and 4D Imaging Technologies
  • Radiation Safety and Dose Optimization in Pediatric Radiology
  • Imaging Techniques for Diagnosing Rare Genetic Disorders
  • Integrating Molecular Imaging With Radiology: A New Era in Precision Medicine
  • Radiology’s Contribution to Stroke Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Exploring the Potential of Radiology in Precision Oncology
  • The Role of Imaging in Early Detection and Staging of Lung Cancer
  • Radiological Assessment of Bone Health in Osteoporosis Patients
  • Advanced Imaging Techniques for Identifying Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis
  • Evaluation of Imaging Techniques for Detecting and Characterizing Breast Lesions

Medical Psychology Research Paper Topics

  • Impacts of Childhood Trauma on Adult Mental Health
  • Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Treating Anxiety Disorders
  • Relationship Between Depression and Chronic Illness
  • Roles of Genetics in Schizophrenia Development
  • Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Stress Reduction
  • Psychological Factors Contributing to Substance Abuse in Adolescents
  • Impacts of Parenting Styles on Child Mental Health
  • Links Between Sleep Disorders and Mental Health Conditions
  • Roles of Personality Traits in Predicting Resilience to Traumatic Events
  • Psychological Factors Contributing to Postpartum Depression
  • Efficacy of Virtual Reality Therapy in Treating Phobias
  • Influence of Cultural Factors on Mental Health and Help-Seeking Behaviors
  • Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement
  • Effects of Music Therapy on Mental Health and Well-Being
  • Psychological Impacts of Chronic Pain on the Quality of Life
  • Roles of Early Intervention in Preventing Mental Health Disorders in Children
  • Effectiveness of Cognitive Training in Enhancing Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults
  • Psychological Factors Contributing to Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals
  • Influence of Exercise on Mental Health and Cognitive Functioning
  • Relationship Between Personality Types and Career Satisfaction
  • Impacts of Social Support on Psychological Well-Being in Cancer Patients

Medical Management Research Paper Topics

  • Evaluation of Novel Therapeutic Approaches in Medical Management
  • Application of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Management
  • Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Medical Management
  • Optimization of Medication Regimens for Chronic Conditions
  • Impacts of Digital Health Technologies on Medical Management
  • Roles of Genetic Testing in Personalized Medical Management
  • Assessment of Telemedicine in Enhancing Medical Management
  • Integration of Big Data Analytics in Medical Management
  • Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Medical Management
  • Utilization of Wearable Devices in Monitoring Medical Management
  • Evaluation of Patient Education Programs for Effective Medical Management
  • Advancements in Surgical Techniques and Medical Management
  • The Role of Nutrition in Supporting Medical Management
  • Effectiveness of Care Coordination in Complex Medical Management
  • Application of Pharmacogenomics in Precision Medical Management
  • Evaluation of Decision Support Systems in Medical Management
  • Impact of Electronic Health Records on Streamlining Medical Management
  • Enhancing Medication Adherence through Behavioral Interventions
  • Role of Exercise Therapy in Comprehensive Medical Management
  • Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Mental Health Medical Management

Research Paper Topics About Medical Ethics

  • Ethical Considerations in Organ Transplantation: Balancing Allocation and Access
  • Examining the Ethics of Genetic Testing and Counseling in Pediatric Populations
  • Exploring the Ethical Implications of Placebo Use in Clinical Trials
  • Moral Challenges in End-of-Life Care Decision-Making: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
  • Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Ensuring Accountability and Privacy
  • Analyzing the Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • Ethical Issues in Assisted Reproductive Technologies: From In Vitro Fertilization to Surrogacy
  • Investigating the Morality of Human Enhancement Technologies in Sports Medicine
  • Ethical Considerations in Clinical Trials Involving Vulnerable Populations
  • Exploring the Ethics of Pediatric Vaccination Policies: Balancing Individual Rights and Public Health
  • Analyzing the Ethical Challenges of Gene Editing in Germline Cells
  • Moral Implications of Brain-Computer Interfaces: Enhancing Communication and Privacy
  • Examining the Ethics of Medical Tourism: Balancing Patient Autonomy and Global Health Equity
  • The Role of Ethics Committees in Healthcare Institutions: Promoting Patient Welfare and Safety
  • Analyzing the Moral Challenges of Human Cloning and Reproductive Cloning Techniques
  • Ethical Considerations in Psychiatric Research: Safeguarding the Well-Being of Vulnerable Patients
  • Ethics of Genome Editing in Non-Human Organisms: Implications for Environmental Conservation
  • Exploring the Ethical Issues Surrounding Human Challenge Trials in Vaccine Development
  • Analyzing the Ethics of Access to Essential Medications: Bridging the Gap Between Affordability and Innovation
  • Moral Challenges in Telemedicine: Privacy, Equity, and Patient-Provider Relationship
  • Ethics of Physician-Assisted Suicide: Balancing Autonomy and the Sanctity of Life

Nursing Health-Related Medical Research Paper Topics

  • Enhancing Patient Safety: Innovative Nursing Interventions
  • Impacts of Telehealth on Nurse-Patient Communication: An Exploration
  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Efficacy in Reducing Nurse Burnout
  • Promoting Cultural Competence in Nursing: Strategies for Culturally Sensitive Care
  • Simulation Training: Enhancing Nursing Skills and Competence
  • Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care Settings: Role Analysis
  • Nurse Staffing Levels and Patient Outcomes: Understanding the Relationship
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nursing Practice: An Analysis
  • Shift Work and Nurse Health: Investigating the Impact
  • Nursing’s Role in Disaster Preparedness and Response: An Overview
  • Nurse-Led Health Promotion Programs: Assessing Effectiveness in Community Settings
  • Evidence-Based Practice Implementation: Analysis of Nursing Strategies
  • Nurses in Palliative Care: End-of-Life Decision Making and Role Exploration
  • Nurse-to-Patient Ratio and Patient Satisfaction: Examining the Impact
  • Pain Management Strategies in Nursing Practice: Evaluating Effectiveness
  • Nurses Addressing Mental Health Issues in the Community: Role Analysis
  • Nursing Leadership Styles and Organizational Outcomes: An Investigation
  • Nursing’s Roles in Vaccination and Immunization: Understanding the Impact
  • Technology in Nursing Education and Training: Exploring Its Use
  • Nurse-Led Chronic Disease Management Programs: Assessing Effectiveness

Women’s Health Med Research Paper Topics

  • Innovations in Breast Cancer Screening Techniques
  • Exploring the Link Between Hormonal Contraceptives and Mental Health
  • Maternal Nutrition and Its Impact on Fetal Development
  • The Role of Exercise in Reducing Menopausal Symptoms
  • Addressing Disparities in Maternal Healthcare Access
  • Novel Approaches for Treating Endometriosis
  • Psychological Factors Influencing Women’s Decision-Making in Reproductive Health
  • Understanding the Connection Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Insulin Resistance
  • Exploring the Role of Gut Microbiota in Women’s Health
  • The Impact of Sleep Disorders on Women’s Mental and Physical Health
  • Innovative Strategies for Promoting Cervical Cancer Prevention
  • Examining the Relationship Between Female Sexual Dysfunction and Mental Health
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Pregnant Women
  • Investigating the Long-Term Health Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation
  • Novel Therapies for Managing Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
  • Understanding the Mechanisms of Autoimmune Disorders Specific to Women
  • The Impact of Gender Bias on Women’s Pain Management
  • Exploring the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Maternal Mental Health
  • Innovative Approaches for Managing Urinary Incontinence in Women
  • The Effect of Menopause on Cardiovascular Health in Women
  • Examining the Role of Epigenetics in Women’s Health
  • Understanding the Influence of Gender-Based Violence on Women’s Mental Health

Comprehensive Medical Research Paper Topics

  • Novel Drug Therapies and Their Effects on Neurodegenerative Disorders
  • Gut Microbiota’s Role in Autoimmune Diseases: An In-Depth Study
  • Gene Therapy’s Efficacy in Cancer Treatment: A Comprehensive Analysis
  • Telemedicine’s Impact on Patient Outcomes in Rural Communities: A Comprehensive Study
  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Mental Health Management: An Exploratory Research
  • Sleep Patterns and Cardiovascular Health: Analyzing the Relationship
  • Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques: Uncovering Their Mechanisms of Action
  • Epigenetics and Age-Related Diseases: Understanding the Linkage
  • Stem Cell Therapy’s Potential in Tissue Regeneration: A Systematic Review
  • Nutrition’s Impact on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Comprehensive Investigation
  • Exercise and Mental Health in Adolescents: Assessing the Benefits
  • Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging Diagnosis: Analyzing Its Usefulness
  • Inflammation in Chronic Pain Conditions: Investigating the Role
  • Mind-Body Interventions in Stress Management: Evaluating Their Effectiveness
  • Music Therapy in Palliative Care: Examining Its Impact on Pain Perception
  • Traditional Herbal Medicines: Understanding Their Mechanisms of Action
  • Air Pollution and Respiratory Health: Exploring the Relationship
  • Nanomedicine in Cancer Treatment: Investigating Its Potential
  • Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation Programs: Analyzing Its Effects
  • Yoga and Meditation in Chronic Disease Management: Evaluating the Benefits
  • Microbiome and Mental Health Disorders: Exploring Their Connection

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September 10, 2024

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Clinical hypnosis vs. cognitive behavioral therapy: What's better for managing hot flashes?

by The North American Menopause Society

menopause

Nonhormone options for hot flashes and other menopause symptoms are growing in popularity, especially for women who cannot take hormones due to health complications. Cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical hypnosis are common nonhormone treatment options. According to a new scoping review, however, one is more effective than the other.

Results of the scoping review are presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society , held in Chicago from September 10–14.

Recognizing that a percentage of menopausal women cannot take hormone therapy either because of health restrictions, such as being a breast cancer survivor, or because of their concerns regarding the potential risks of hormones, in 2023 The Menopause Society published its Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement. Among other things, the Position Statement addressed both cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical hypnosis .

A new scoping review which synthesized the findings from 23 studies spanning from 1996 until 2022, however, was designed to compare the effectiveness of these two treatment options. Of the total studies reviewed, eight had administered clinical hypnosis and 15 administered cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of hot flashes.

The researchers found that clinical hypnosis interventions consistently demonstrated clinically significant efficacy in reducing hot flash frequency and severity, as well as improving quality of life, sleep quality, and mood. Specifically, clinical hypnosis showed a significant reduction of more than 60%.

In contrast, cognitive behavioral therapy interventions showed mixed findings, with minimal impact on hot flash frequency reduction, although they did prove helpful in reducing the daily interference and stress associated with hot flashes.

"Clinical hypnosis is the first behavioral intervention to achieve significant reductions of physiologically recorded hot flashes," says Vanessa Muniz, lead author from Baylor University.

"This suggests that hypnosis may act through mechanisms beyond response expectancy or placebo effects, potentially altering activity in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus."

Based on the results, the researchers suggest that future research should explore neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis and innovative delivery methods such as smartphone apps, and tailor interventions to individual characteristics for optimized outcomes in managing hot flashes.

"Since hot flashes are one of the most common bothersome symptoms of menopause, evaluating the available treatment options , including the nonhormone options, are important so we can provide our patients with the option that will work best for them," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.

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Principal Data Scientist Imaging and Vision AI Researcher

About the role.

Key responsibilities

  • Lead AI research projects independently, focusing on imaging and vision applications within pharmaceutical research and development using scientific, rigorous, and reproducible methodology
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This opportunity is located at the Novartis Cambridge (MA) site and will not have the ability to be located remotely. Relocation assistance may be available.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $144,000 and $216,000 per year; however, while salary ranges are effective from 1/1/24 through 12/31/24, fluctuations in the job market may necessitate adjustments to pay ranges during this period. Further, final pay determinations will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to geographical location, experience level, knowledge, skills and abilities. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, restricted stock units, and discretionary awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

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