Implications of a Clinical Observership of Patients for a Methodologist: a Transdisciplinary Approach

• Activity Number: 89
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Monday, August 4, 2014 : 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM
• Sponsor: Mental Health Statistics Section
• Author(s): Douglas Gunzler*+
• Companies: Case Western Reserve University
• Keywords: Transdisciplinary ; Clinical Observership ; Translational Research ; Education ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Depression

Abstract

A comprehensive clinical observership of patients with an underlying condition or conditions under study is an underutilized educational activity for training a methodologist to be a leader in translational research. Observing the provider and patients leads to greater understanding of the doctor-patient experience, providing a bridge for a methodologist between data analyses and the context for applying research in a real clinical setting. We focus on an observership of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and/or depression. Making connections with specialists in MS in multiple disciplines of care (neurology, psychology, and physical therapy), along with a psychiatry consultation liaison team, proved essential for a biostatistician tailoring both study design and analytic development using a transdisciplinary approach.